It's Just A Spark
by TiliaofAnkh
Summary: She had set her stove on fire. Again. While being only dressed an oversized jumper, leggins and mismatched socks. Again. Also, it was 2 am. Again. Hiccstrid. Modern AU
1. It's Just A Spark

_Here's an old draft I found and dusted off a bit - hope you like it!_

* * *

 **It's Just A Spark**

* * *

"Oh no no no - _shit_ \- not again!"

Those were probably the most common words coming out of Astrid Hofferson's mouth. Ever. Why? Oh, she set her stove on fire. Again. While being only dressed an oversized jumper, leggins and mismatched socks. Again. Also, it was 2 am. _Again_.

Cursing, phone in one hand, already dialing 911, a wet towel in the other hand, she desperately tried to put out the fire. Her frantically screeching parrot digging her didn't help much either.

"Stormfly, could you just - get - ugh - oh yes, hi! Hi, it's me again, my stove's on fire, yes, I know- what? Uh, the ... third time ... I know. Thanks. Thank you!"

Her wooden chopping board set on fire.

* * *

Gobber let out a whoop of laughter. He and Hiccup exchanged a quick glance and Hiccup shot him _the_ look. " _No_."

" _Yes_ ," the older man confirmed, flashing his collegue a toothy grin.

Hiccup groaned, dragging his hands over his face.

"Don't tell me it's that time of the week again. I mean - come on, Gobber, you're messing with me. Please be messing with me - _tell_ me this is a _joke_ and I will laugh and pretend it's funny."

Gobber grinned at his partner and just handed him his helmet while the younger man got up.

"What is this woman even _doing_? I mean, she should have figured out how this blasted thing works by the time of three months, but noo! She just has to set her stove on fire thrice a week!"

Gobber chuckled and watched his still ranting friend climb into his uniform.

"But you think she's pretty."

"I _said_ , she's pretty okay by the time the fire is out."

"If I remember correctly, your correct words were, 'Gobber, that girl is gorgeous but she can't cook for shit'."

Hiccup huffed. "Whatever. As long as she gets out of there in time and doesn't forget to put her bird into its cage again-"

"Now, come on, don't be so hard on her. You'd panic too if your stove would catch fire on a daily basis and threaten both you and Toothless."

Hiccup's head re-appeared out of his locker. "Yeah, but there's a difference. First, Toothless doesn't have _wings_ and secondly, I am a _firefighter_ , Gobber! _I don't panic in a fire! That's my job!"_

Gobber laughed and leaned back in his seat, arms crossed behind his back. "Whatever you say, chief. Now go and save your lady in distress."

"She's in distress, my lady - not so much," he deadpanned and stopped mid-action of putting his helmet on, noting Gobber still hadn't moved from his spot.

"Wait, you're not coming?"

The older man shrugged. "Somebody's gotta keep an eye on Snot, who knew what might happen if he's alone - also, I trust you with this and it's no big deal. You can handle it."

Taking notice of his friend's scowl he chuckled and added, "Just think of this as your exam."

The auburn-haired man in front of him sighed but mumbled, "Alright, see you later."

* * *

Astrid really had tried not to panic. _Really_. But not panicking proved itself to be difficult when the old wet-cloth-on-fire trick didn't work out as she'd hoped. Mainly because the fire had spread.

She heard someone open her front door. Footsteps hitting the floor.

"Why are you still not outside?" she heard the familiar voice of the firefighter yell.

Granted, it was the third time she saw him this week. Yet Astrid had never seen him this annoyed with her. But then again, it was 2 am.

"Miss Hofferson, _please_ leave your apartment so can put this fire out and argue later about why we've seen each other more than I have seen my own father this week."

Quickly the young woman grabbed her coat, parrot and fled the scene, all the while being angry at herself and her failed safety measures.

Five minutes later, an exhausted looking fireman stepped out of her apartment.

"You can come back in," he mumbled and together they went back into her flat.

They stood in silence for a while until Astrid finally got out, "Thank you. And - I'm sorry this keeps happening, really."

"What are you trying to do, I mean - how many times do I have to come in until you learn how to use your stove?"

"I'm really sorry," she whispered, fiddling with her sleeves, "it's just ... I had to start pulling night shifts and-"

"No, I ... listen, I should be sorry," he interrupted her and took a step towards her, his face softer now. "This is my job and you're just a bit," he hesitated, then grinned lopsidedly. "inexperienced with the gas cooker."

Astrid returned his smile almost involuntarily. This was the first time they really talked after one of these incidents. She found out his smile was infectious. She also realised that pretty much everything about his face was gorgeous.

Hiccup's heart was beating up to his throat, so loud he wondered if she heard.

He had tried to push that feeling down and pretended to be exasperated anytime they received her call, but that act dropped pretty fast as soon as she looked at him.

Hiccup looked into her eyes and wondered if it was really possible for the sky to be caught in someone's eyes. Looking at her made him remember that the only reason he hadn't asked her out the first time he'd seen her had been because of the fire.

Then, he'd hoped to see her somewhere else, to pass her on the street maybe, or in a café, anywhere but at a place with a fire.

But then she called - again. And again.

And they had never seen each other outside her apartment.

After a while he finally realised all they had done in the past minute had been stare at each other, and he blushed, clearing his throat.

"I, uh, guess I should get going now," he mumbled, quickly making his way out of the kitchen, already regretting he hadn't said anything. "goodnight." He felt like a coward.

Putting out fires regularily and facing death on a certain basis? No problem.

But asking out a woman he had a crush on? Impossible.

He'd just have to accept it. He'd never have the courage to ask her out, he would continue to put out her fires for the rest of his life. Or until she moved. Which would mean he would _never_ see her again. Great. So much for a shared future.

Maybe he shouldn't have let it come this far, just remain professional. That had turned out to be really, _really_ hard. People shouldn't be allowed to be this beautiful and funny and resilient - because, really, causing fires this regularily really said something for her reliability - and _confusing_.

Astrid panicked again the second he had turned around. This is stupid, she thought. I mean, look at him. He'd never. Oh, she had thought about giving her his number. She'd made up entire scenarios and conversation starters for just in case they met out on the street for heaven's sake!

She could just ask him.

Or she could just let him leave. And wait until next time. Next time she set her kitchen on fire and would again be too scared to ask him. But what was she even scared of?

Rejection. Because he didn't seem to be interested in her, like at _all_.

But he was leaving, almost out the door.

Astrid wasn't really thinking.

But before she knew it she had already exclaimed, "Wait! Um, can I - do you ..."

"Can I have your number?" they both blurted out simultaneously.

They stopped.

Then a grin started blossoming on his face.

"I'll give you mine if you give me yours."

Astrid laughed.

And Hiccup couldn't help but think it sounded like growing flowers on a balcony in the city somewhere.


	2. First Impressions

_So, due to popular demand I have decided to continue this story (which was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but I really, really enjoy writing it)._ _I'm glad you've liked this little thing so far and thanks for all your kind words and feedback!_

oOo

 _Chapter Two - First Impressions_

Hiccup was fiddling with his sleeves. He picked up the phone, stared at the screen - and set it down again.

He had been repeating this exact same process for about half an hour now. Each time his finger moved to press the dialling button, his stomach made an impossible turn and his mind did a 180 with it.

He just couldn't. He was not able to just ... call her. What was he so afraid of?

"I've called people before," he mumbled and stared at the accusing numbers in front of him. "Just because it's _her_ doesn't have to be any different."

He tried breathing in and out deeply.

"Okay, Haddock, get it together. You got this far. You asked her, she gave you her number … for whatever reason. You've got this. It's just a call. Just … call her."

He didn't.

Hiccup sighed and got up. She'd be done and have forgotten about him by the time he actually did have the courage to press a fucking _button_.

oOo

Astrid threw a glance at the clock. It was five pm already. Had she really been here this long? She remembered thinking, 'I should call him' at four as soon as she'd got home. Yet she hadn't. At least not yet.

"Come on," she muttered under her breath, turning on her back, staring at the screen of her phone. "If you don't call, I might never 'cause I'm such a coward."

She couldn't help but wonder what was different about it this time. She'd called him before - well, at least the fire station. At unholy hours like 2 am. So how was this different?

'You're not in a life-threatening situation, for one' a treacherous voice provided her with in her head. She huffed, turning back over, clutching the phone in her hands and pressing it against her forehead.

"I am an indepentant and strong woman who doesn't really need no man but really wants _this_ man, and I can just pick up the phone and fucking _call_ him."

She didn't.

oOo

Gobber had been watching Hiccup pace around the station for about twenty minutes now. The young man was muttering under his breath, phone in his hands and click-thumped around. After a while Gobber decided to clear his throat. Hiccup did not notice him.

"Hey, lad …"

Hiccup started so much he almost let his phone fall.

"I wasn't calling anyone!"

Gobber raised an eyebrow. "Well, it looks like you _should_ be calling someone."

Hiccup looked at him, desperately searching for an excuse, his mouth helplessly opening and closing again.

Eventually he sighed and let his head hang.

"I … it's her. Ms Hofferson," he specified.

 _Oh_. Gobber looked at him, incredulous. "You mean Astrid Hofferson?"

"Yes," Hiccup confirmed, his face dark.

"I thought you didn't _like_ her?" Gobber asked, both his smirk and expression suggesting that that had been the _last_ thing he'd thought.

"I do. That was just to throw you off," the young man admitted. "But I guess it didn't really work."

Gobber laughed, got up and gave his friend a hearty pat on the back, making Hiccup stumble slightly.

"Then what're you waiting for, just call her!"

"I can't, Gobber," Hiccup sounded miserable. "I've been trying for the past _hour_ but i just can't do it."

Gobber paused, then grinned. "She gave you her number?"

"Yes …"

"So she wants you to call you! You don't just go around giving out your number to people who arent supposed to _dial_ it"

"I gave her mine too." Hiccup mumbled.

"Sorry, what?"

Louder this time he said, "I gave her mine too. We sort of asked each other. Simultaneously."

"And that's a story I'll tell my grandchildren!"

"Gobber, you're not my father-"

"So you're not denying it?"

"What? I-" Hiccup groaned and slumped together. "I'm just gonna call her."

Gobber grinned. "Atta boy. Just go home altogether, your shift's over in ten minutes anyways."

Hiccup nodded, quickly collected his belongings and stripped himself of his working clothes. Gobber was right. It was silly to be this afraid. He'd just call her. And then he'd apologise for taking so long. And _then_ he'd ask if she was free this friday evening. 'Yes,' he thought, now feeling more confident. 'That's a plan.'

It was ringing. Oh, god, it was ringing. Okay, now he started regretting it. But he couldn't just hang up now. She'd have heard it by now. Or she'd see later he had called. What if she didn't call back? _What if-_

"Hello?"

His pulse sky-rocketed.

"Hi- Hello Ms Hofferson, it's, ah, Henry. Hi."

She paused shortly, then she chuckled softly and replied, "I think we can agree on a first name basis. You saw me in my underwear."

Oh, right, _that_. Their first meeting. It had been in the middle of the night and she'd opened up her door, spatula still in her hands, only clad in a cardigan, a top and her knickers, looking rather panicked. He doubted he'd ever been more red in his entire life.

"Oh yes, sorry. So - okay, let me start over," he took a deep breath. "Hi Astrid, it's me, Henry. There, I think I got it."

She laughed. "I'm proud of you. You … don't do this very often, do you?"

"No," he admitted and after a moment of short consideration he added, "you?" (He hoped she didn't.)

"Likewise," she answered and a stone the size of a small parking lot dropped off of his shoulders. "I really don't, that's why I was so nervous to call you sooner. I've been home since four."

"That … would have been my next point," he deadpanned weakly.

He felt almost as if in a haze. She didn't take him for a stupid and inexperienced idiot because she didn't date a lot either. She wasn't annoyed because he hadn't called sooner because _she_ was just as nervous as he was.

Through the hazy mist of his mind he heard himself say, "Are you free this friday?"

A follow-up of an apology and a quick 'or if that's too soon for you, it's okay' were already halfway tumbling over his lips but to his surprise she audibly smiled and replied, "Of course, Friday's perfect. Say, 8 PM at my flat?"

"Uh- yeah! That's perfect, I'd love - I'll pick you up. Is the _Che Dragon_ alright with you?"

"I love that place! I have an old friend who works there."

"Perfect," he repeated, suddenly feeling very high on his luck. "See you then?"

"Sure, I can't wait. And I promise not to use my stove until then."

He laughed.

"O-okay, then … Friday"

"Friday," she echoed, still smiling. "Bye."

"Bye." Hiccup replied weakly and ended the call, feeling like singing, laughing, crying and jumping all at once.

As soon as Astrid had heard the click of the call ending, she immediately jumped up and dialled another number.

A cheery voice on the other end answered.

"Hey girl, what's-"

"Oh my fucking god, Ruff, I have a date!"

Silence. Then, "Wait, are you serious?"

"YES!"

"But …. With WHO?" Astrid didn't even hear the tone that suggested the notion that she'd have to find someone crazy enough to ask her out on a date.

"The fireman, Henry! I asked him for his number - well. He asked me, too. But that's beside the point, he's picking me up this friday!"

"Okay, can you just dial back for a second? WHO is this guy, how did you meet and how hot is he?"

"I - I mean, he's really hot but that's sort of his job, being a FIREman," Astrid acknowledged, snorting.

"If his puns are as fucking horrible as yours you're perfect for each other." Rachel "Ruff" Thorsten, her best friend of ten years commented dryly.

Again, Astrid chose to gracefully ignore her and continued, "And I think we met about one month ago, when I got my new stove and I can never get the gas right, so everything just sort of … explodes and catches fire, so I panic and call the fire station. And five minutes later I discover they must've sent their cutest fireman available, honestly," she sighed and dropped back onto her bed. "I usually don't have a type, but this guy … you should see his EYES and that hair, seriously. So he's standing there, all gorgeous and serious, and I'm in my underwear with a cardigan over it."

"That sounds like the beginning of a really bad porno - like, a really, really bad and low-budget one."

"Ruff, my fucking kitchen was on fire. It's been five times this month."

oOo

"I thought you went home."

Gobber watched his friend, collegue and former apprentice stumble back in.

"I … wanted to but then stayed in the locker room the whole time," Hiccup said as if realising this for the first time. "But I called Astrid while I was there."

Gobber did not fail to notice the big, happy grin the man had walked in with and had still plastered on his face.

"So …?"

"We have a date this friday. I'm picking her up."

Gobber laughed and once again smashed his hand on Hiccup's back.

"There you go! Knew you could do it. I never doubted you."

Hiccup just kept grinning.

"So, what are you gonna do?"

He blushed. "Well - I thought, _Che Dragon_ is nice … and then a walk through the park? It's a good park," he defended himself. "Even at night. Or … I don't know, maybe we'll grab a drink or …"

"I thought you didn't drink?"

"Oh. Yeah, you're right, I don't," Hiccup realised and let himself fall onto his chair, groaning. "God, Gobber, I'll be dead before I even get to pick her up. I feel like I can't even _think_ properly, how am I gonna hold up a conversation?"

"Don't if you can't," Gobber replied, shrugging. At Hiccup's confused gaze he explained, "Just let her talk until you feel comfortable. Or don't talk at all, whatever you kids do on first dates nowadays."

Hiccup blushed and started stuttering. Gobber laughed again and asked, more serious now, "Okay, lad. I'm telling you this because I'm your friend and because this is your first date since you've started working here and _also_ because your father's hair is going grey over this issue. I know that if I asked you how serious this is to you, you'll tell me you didn't even have your first date yet, _so_ I'll tell you this: don't overanalye and simply get to know her. Have fun. And don't spend all the time you spend with her in your head."

Hiccup exhaled, somewhat relieved this didn't resemble one of his father's _'son, we need to talk'_ conversations. He bowed his head and nodded.

"I will. Thanks, Gobber."

His friend grinned at him and saluted. "Always there for you, lad."

The thing about Gobber was that this was completely true. Hiccup had known him since he could think. Gobber was his father's best friend and had, after Hiccup's mother's death become his co-parent, thereby expanding his title as Godfather to Adoptive Dad and Sometimes Drunk Uncle. Hiccup knew that if anything ever happened, he could always go to Gobber. There had been times he couldn't deal with his father or just didn't want to, where he'd stayed with Gobber for a few days.

"Okay, now go home," his voice interrupted Hiccup's reveries. "Before I have to chase you out."


	3. First Date

_Okay, first of all, there's a gigantic thank you (!) I'd like to throw out there, the feedback has been amazing! I'm really happy you all like this little story._

 _I've had so much fun writing this one, that's for sure!_

 _First Date_

Time until Friday seemed to crawl by achingly slow. Astrid even played with the thought of setting her kitchen on fire on purpose this time but then quickly realised how mental that sounded and discarded that thought.

On Friday, she realised she had, in fact, nothing to wear after wreaking havoc in her entire wardrobe.

"Great," she huffed, slumping down on her bed. The _Che Dragon_ wasn't a fancy restaurant - but she wanted to look _nice_.

 _'He's seen you without makeup, in your underwear and a messy bun, she thought next. Everything you do up from this point is an upgrade.'_

' _Alright,'_ She stood with her hands on her hips. _'Just because this is my first date in two years and the other ones all ended in either diappointment, annoyance or indifference, that doesn't have to mean this one will too._ '

In the end she had finally found something she felt comfortable in. And she didn't even look remotely bad in it. Just … _decent_ , she thought as she braided her hair. She didn't really know what she was doing with her hair when she braided it, so she always just sort of hoped for the best.

The clock told her she still had enough time left to brush her teeth, use mouthwash and put some perfume on.

Should she put lipstick on? That sort of clashed with the dinner. Oh god, what if she just started kissing him?

Okay. No lipstick. _Definitely_ no lipstick.

oOo

Hiccup was so nervous he thought his heart was going to jump right out of his chest and run away, followed by his stomach.

He tried to take deep calming breaths as he approached her door. Oh, God. He couldn't do this. This could go wrong in so many ways. What if she ended up hating him and just stood up and left in the middle of dinner? Or worse, not even be home because she didn't want to see him?

 _Okay, you need to stop this_ , he thought. _What did Gobber say? Don't spend your time with her in your head. That's simple. I can do that._

His finger pressed the doorbell.

Moments later the door opened.

And Hiccup could have sworn his heart skipped a beat.

She looked absolutely _radiant_. The red shirt she wore accentuated her blue eyes in a way that hiccup felt shouldn't even be humanly possible or even allowed, in fact.

"You look …" He simply couldn't help but run his eyes over her slim form. They scanned over her high-waisted skirt and toned, clad-in-tights legs and her smiling, open expression. With the soft glow of her flat in the background she looked like a goddess. "…gorgeous." _Stunning. Breathtaking. Beautiful. Magical. Criminally attractive._

She blushed and bit back a grin. "Thanks."

Then she let her grin show and made his stomach flip. "You're not so bad yourself."

I'm gonna have an asthma attack somewhen this evening, he thought and offered her his arm.

"Shall we?"

oOo

"So, Berk's not a gigantic city. How come I've never seen you around?" he asked as they strolled through the streets. Their reservation wasn't until 8:30, so they still had plent of time. Astrid laughed.

"Oh, I'm not from here. I moved here only a year ago, for work."

"What do you do?"

"I'm working in the animal shop. That's also how I got Stormfly. The poor girl was all alone, nobody ever wanted to buy her. So, I did back when I started. It was love on first sight, really," she smiled. "And recently I picked up a night shift two to three times a week for a bar just around the corner. You know, extra money and it's relatively little effort, considering I wanted to become a teacher. Well, originally at least, but I had to postpone that when I had to move out."

She did not explain it any further and Hiccup had noticed the faint shadow flit over her eyes for a split second, so he decided not to push any further.

"Anyway," she continued, smiling again and looked back up at him. "What about you?"

He laughed. "Oh, I'm a true Berkian, born and raised."

She looked at him, her eyes like the sea. Hiccup desperately wanted to get lost in them.

"Don't you ever feel trapped?"

Hiccup paused, and usually he would have laughed this kind of question off, but something in him rebelled against that reflex. Slowly, the admitted, "I do. A lot, actually." The words just kept flowing over his lips. "Sometimes I'm looking up flights to places I know I'll never go."

"Why couldn't you?"

He looked at her. Her expression was open, serious. Genuine.

"I … you know, I have a job and a cat and I can't just suddenly disappear."

"You can take a break. And lots of hotels allow animals. So what is it?"

Maybe he told her because she really wanted to know. Or maybe he did because he felt she wouldn't judge him for it.

"I'm scared that if I left, I'd never come back."

They had stopped in front of the restaurant.

Her blue eyes were still fixed on him and he felt like drowning in them.

Softly she said, "If you do, you know that your soul belongs someplace else."

She opened the door and stepped in, a stunned Hiccup still staring after her.

Quickly he followed suit and thanked her for holding the door for him.

"Astrid!" a voice called out to them. Hiccup noticed a tall, blond young man stride towards them with a big grim on his face. He tried to ignore the strange sting he felt when they hugged.

"Hey, Tuff."

"Bringing company?" he pointed at Hiccup and stepped towards him, offering his hand. "Hi, I'm Tom."

"Henry, nice to meet you."

"So, you're her collegue, or …?"

"He's my date, actually." Astrid chimed in and Tom's face lit up as he went to shake Hiccup's hand again, this time more enthusiastically.

"It is truly an honour to meet you, thank you dear sir for being crazy enough to-"

"- _and_ we booked a table for 8:30," Astrid interrupted him, pushed him away and smiled at Hiccup, who only nodded, still slightly confused.

"On Haddock, yes," he informed Tom weakly and followed him towards the table.

Hiccup had thoroughly checked the situation before booking and had chosen a table that was next to one of the windows and framed by some indoor plants, so they could have a little privacy if they were going to have their first date in a public place.

Tom handed them their menus, grinned at Hiccup, gave Astrid a thumbs up and disappeared.

As soon as he had left, Astrid groaned and hid her face in her hands.

"Sorry about him," she said. "I forgot he's ... well. Himself. He can be a bit …"

"Oh, no, I don't mind. But if you're uncomfortable, we can-"

"No, I just thought you'd be uncomfortable."

"I'm not." He smiled. "It's okay, really."

She nodded and after a moment of silence he asked, "So, how do you guys know each other?"

Astrid smiled. "Oh, he's my best friend's twin brother. We've been friends since middle school after I punched someone for breaking his glasses and taking his lunch." She shrugged.

"How come he's here?" Hiccup asked, keeping in mind she was not from Berk.

"Oh, he and Ruff - Rachel, I mean, moved here after college. It was kind of a coincidence we all ended up here."

Decisions on food were made really quickly. Hiccup didn't even pay full attention to what he ordered if he was being honest, too captivated by her face. He noticed she scrunched her nose as she studied the pages.

After she had decided she set her menue down, folded her hands and watched him carefully. Hiccup blushed slightly under her gaze.

"Can I ask you something?"

Oh, god.

"Of course."

Her eyes flitted down to his chin and he remembered he had forgotten to shave instantly.

"I'm sorry if this is a bit too straightforward, but … how come you're _single_?"

He choked on his drink.

"Oh, I'm sorry, please forget I asked that, that was stupid, I'm sorry-"

Their hands touched.

Quickly he pulled his hand back because oh god, touching her sent sparks across his skin.

"No, it's okay, I mean … I just don't. Um. Well. Never really …" he hesitated, embarrassed. He would have told her sooner or later anyway. "I never really had a serious relationship. It just never felt … important to me. I mean, I've been on dates before, but they either lost interest and didn't stick around or …" he blushed, looking down on his hands. "Or nobody managed to catch my attention." As you do right now, he wanted to say.

"As you do right now," he said, shocked at his own audacity.

Astrid looked at him. Blue and green collided. A forest under the deep sky.

Slowly she smiled and Hiccup felt his breath hitch in his throat because there it was again, that feeling of growing flowers somewhere.

"That's good," she said then, her hands openly on the table. "'Cause you've caught mine too."

Something in her smile told Hiccup that not even a surprise asthma attack could ruin this evening.

When their food arrived he didn't really pay attention to it - how could he when she captivated his eyes like that and had wrapped him in conversation like this? - but made sure to at least take a bite or two every now and then.

"So," Astrid said after a while, laying down her fork. "Any other dark secrets?"

"The whole town calls me Hiccup."

She laughed.

"I'm serious!"

Still grinning, she took a sip of her drink and replied, "Yeah, but that's not exactly what I meant with 'dark secret', Henry."

Then she paused and asked after watching him with twinkling eyes, "Which do you prefer?"

"Honestly? Hiccup, I think." He chuckled. "It's sort of grown on me. It started out as a joke when I was a child, originally made by my father, then adapted by my uncle and soon the whole town only knew me as that weird boy Hiccup who's convinced dragons exist."

Astrid smiled. "I like it," she mused, her head resting on her hand. "I like … this, in general."

He blinked. "You just … gestured to all of me."

She nodded and laughed at his lopsided grin, noticing the gap between his front teeth, adding it to her list of things she liked about him.

Astrid couldn't help but keep watching his face while he talked; her plate of food was soon forgotten. Her eyes drank in the way he moved his hands while he talked, the freckles drawing constellations on his skin, the tiny pale scar on his chin, his eyes - good grief, his eyes -, his smile.

She didn't know what she'd been so scared of all this time. This was … confusing and strangely hypnotic. It almost scared her still. She wasn't usually like this - especially not on first dates. Granted, it had often stayed at a FIRST date because they all had either lost interest in her, ghosted her or hadn't been compatible in the first place.

"After this, would you like to take a walk through the park?" he suddenly asked her then and Astrid smiled involuntarily, halfway thinking back to other men - boys, they'd all been boys - who had taken her to clubs and bars with endless noise and drinking and crowds.

This was better.

"I'd love to."

He smiled at her and Astrid felt her heart jump. This was wonderful.

Hiccup politely waved at Tom, who beamed at them.

"Everything alright?"

Better than alright, Astrid wanted to say, but bit her tongue and grinned. "Let's split?" she offered Hiccup, who paused shortly but nodded, returning her smile.

Faint memories of people insisting to pay because she was 'a lady' suddenly became very, very distant.

They paid and sat for another couple of minutes to finish their drinks, then proceeded to make their way outside. Tom highfived her - earning a raised eyebrow from the chef - and shook Hiccup's hand. The young man almost gasped when the other pulled him in and muttered as quietly as possible, "I've never seen her like this. Make it count."

He let him go, shot Hiccup a last grin, then he waved them both goodbye.

This time Hiccup held the door open for her and grinned brightly at her.

"Did he threaten you?" Astrid's eyes were sparkling. Hiccup chuckled and shook his head. "Oh no, he didn't. It was more like … a piece of advice."

Saying that he collected all of his courage, took a deep breath and gently intertwined their fingers.

Astrid stopped in her tracks, starting down at their joined hands, looked back up at him, into his warm and honest eyes and only thought, 'This feels right.'. Worry was starting to overshadow his eyes at her unresponsiveness and suddenly she was afraid he'd pull back, so she tightened her grip around his hand and resumed walking, pulling him along with her, feeling happiness bubbling up in her chest and not failing to take notice of his bright smile.

They walked in silence for a while.

A warm breeze danced around their steps on the concrete and soon guided them into the park to the outskirts of the small city.

After a while Hiccup's voice softly arose to spoke.

"You've probably been wondering about my leg." Astrid shrugged. "I figured it might be rude to ask."

"Oh, I don't have a problem with it. It's usually the first thing people notice about me. It's a bit … funny, really, considering my career choice."

Her eyes widened.

"I was fifteen when it happened. My dad had left to get some groceries and I was in my room, doing homework. What I didn't know was he'd left a candle unattended. It stood way too close to the curtains, so … after a while, it caught fire. And fire has this weird thing about spreading fast as hell," He chuckled, his gaze shortly flitting back to her face. "Which means by the time the fire alarm went off and I noticed it, it had already spread to the kitchen, my room in-between. I would have been out in time if Toothless - my cat - would have been with me, but he was still in the living room. So, I had already called the fire department but knew that if I waited too long, the fire would reach him. So I went back in to get him, spent too much time inside, got smoke poisoning, passed out and the fire did the rest. Gobber found me. Toothless was luckier, he lost the tip of his tail and it's healed pretty nicely. But, well, since then I've never had to worry about finding a matching sock ever again!" He laughed and smiled almost wistfully at her.

"It's okay, really. I'm not really bothered. And it's been ten years, so."

Astrid just looked at him, somewhat amazed, then she managed, "I think that's the bravest thing I've ever heard someone do. But that was really fucking stupid."

Hiccup laughed lightheartedly and Astrid couldn't help but smile. "Well, there we are, I'm brave but stupid." He sobered up, his gaze now soft. "Crazy enough?"

Now it was her turn to chuckle. "Definitely."

"You know what's weird?" he suddenly asked and knew he was acting on a whim, "You're the first person I want to tell this. I mean, I … I want you to know that stuff, and I wanna tell you about how hard it was to walk again, or that I keep starting new sketchbooks without finishing any of them because I haven't found the right things to draw yet, or that, if you'd want, I'd really like to see you again. Several times. If you want."

Astrid blinked and her heart was soaring and she thought, I've got my heart where my head should be, but found that somehow she didn't care at all and that her answer was easy.

"We're still seeing each other. We're even alone together. And I'd like being alone with you more often."

They had stopped walking. Hiccup just stared at her, a wondrous expression on his face.

"Next weekend," he said. "Let's stay inside next weekend. I'm cooking."

Astrid looked at him and realised she wouldn't really need a second or third date to know she was already heads over heels for him. Looking at him in the moonlight, his freckles like stars, his eyes only on her, she really wanted to kiss him. But another part of her said, _'Don't. This isn't the time.'_

And she listened. Because she was entirely certain that there would come a time.

So she only smiled, nodded and said, yes.

Hiccup looked at her features and wondered when he'd find the courage to kiss her. The remarkable thing was, the more he looked at her, the less he needed to think. He didn't _need_ to turn his options over and over in his head. He felt an incredible wave of calmness wash over him and with her hand still enclosed with his he was in absolute peace.

Right now, it was enough to just stand here and look at her.

Right now, he just wanted to lose his train of thought and drown in her eyes, just for a bit.


	4. Second Glances

_(It's too late, she believes in fate, he's absolutely smitten)_

 _Chapter 4 - Second Glances_

Hiccup was late the next day, earling a partly stern, partly amused look from Gobber.

"So … went well last night?"

Hiccup did not fail to notice his suggestive tone and huffed, running a hand through his unkempt hair.

"Not as 'well' as _you_ think. We just stayed out pretty late last night and I overslept."

"Ah," Gobber acknowledged, still smirking. "Seeing as she didn't run away the second she saw you as you assumed-"

"Honestly, Gobber, that's a new low, even for you."

The older man just laughed. After a while, Hiccup uttered, "Remember what you said about not spending the time I spend with her in my head? The second she opened her door, I just sort of stopped. I spent the whole evening with her without second guessing myself. She's just …" he tousled his hair again, letting out a breathless chuckle. "She's something else. It feels like with her I don't really have to decide, or turn things over and over, it's … confusing. In a good way.I wanna figure her out. I wanna know what makes her tick and know the way she thinks."

"Oh boy …" Gobber mumbled to himself, thinking, _'he is absolutely smitten'._

oOo

Astrid was _humming_. While _working_. It seemed almost outrageous to be in this much of a good mood. She was supposed to concentrate on her tasks - even if it was something as mindless as cleaning the cages - and not on the events of last night! And yet, she couldn't help but let her thoughts linger. Specifically on Hiccup. She smiled as she realised she silently referred to him as Hiccup too now.

He'd walked her home that night. Usually people would simply insist on doing so and Astrid would refuse, but Hiccup had simply grinned that lopsided grin of his and had said, that if she wanted to he'd like to walk her home and Astrid had accepted, gladly even. It was the she realised she hadn't really wanted to say goodbye just yet. She'd never say this out loud but that scared her a bit. She wasn't used to these kind of feelings and wasn't sure yet if she was okay with them. It all had all gone a bit fast, but then again, this had been building up for some time now.

Her first impression with him then had been so different from what she knew now. When they'd met she thought she'd only seen his physical attributes and had seen him as this serious, precise and abrupt professional.

The second glance had revealed much more - of course, he still was outrageously attractive, but Astrid now knew that he was in fact not as serious, nor curt or simple. He was funny and considerate and thoughtful and gentle and, goodness, that wasn't enough. She wanted second glances and third, fourth, fifth glances. She wanted to get to know him - _really_ get to know him, past his smile and his lighthearted jokes.

Astrid sat there in litter and sand and thought, _'I hope he lets me.'_

oOo

It was already dark when Hiccup got home. He felt as if he'd been dragged through hell and back; his lungs felt accordingly.

"Hey, bud," he rasped and gently scratched the black cat's ears. "Sorry for taking so long. We had two fires today. I'm just glad everyone got out well. You hungry?"

Toothless meowed and scrutinised him with bright green eyes, snapping his tail. Hiccup grinned and click-thumped towards the cupboard, wincing slightly with every step he took.

"I can't wait to get some ice on there," he muttered. "Remind me to keep some at the office."

He watched Toothless eat for a while, then he carefully shifted his weight back on his prosthesis and shuffled into the bathroom in search for his diffuser.

' _A one-legged fireman with asthma,'_ he thought. _'How ironic.'_

His phone started ringing just as he set his foot into the cold water. Hiccup shivered and picked up.

"Haddock?"

"I heard you had a date" the solemn voice of his father established. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Hey Dad, how are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking."

" _Hiccup_."

"Okay, sorry. So Gobber already spilled, huh? That didn't last long," Hiccup commented dryly, heaved the diffuser onto the stool next to the bathtub and turned it on.

"No," his father replied but then quickly picked up the reason for his call again. "So? A date?"

"Yes."

"How'd you manage?"

"Wow, dad, don't make it sound like being a 23-year old man who didn't have a date in the past five years of his life is disappointing."

His dad laughed. "So, come on, who is she?"

"Her name is Astrid Hofferson, she lives a couple of blocks away from me, actually. We met because she set her stove on fire - _several_ times, I should mention. It took me a while to work up the courage to ask for her number. We went out yesterday at had a nice dinner at the Che Dragon."

"Hold on, did you say _Hofferson_? That name rings a bell." His father stayed silent for a while, which Hiccup used to dry his still slightly aching stump.

"Ah, now I remember!" Stoick Haddock bellowed, making his son flinch involuntarily. "Astrid Hofferson, of course! She's at the _Smith's_ whenever we have a get together with the company."

"Oh. Yeah, she mentioned working part-time in a bar."

"She's a nice young lady, Hiccup, congratulations."

He chuckled. "We're not getting married, Dad, we just had our first date."

"So there will be others?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes. I invited her over for Friday. I'm cooking."

He practically _heard_ his father raise an eyebrow and sighed.

"I promise my intentions are honorable."

"Good, I didn't raise you to be a brute like your cousin."

Silence. A defiant 'Snot changed a lot since he was sixteen, Dad' was quickly swallowed back down.

Instead Hiccup replied, "I know, Dad, I know. But, um … promise next time you see her not to talk about me. She probably doesn't even know you're my dad."

"Alright, my lips are sealed. I'll see you next Wednesday for lunch?"

Hiccup smiled. "Yup. 'Night, Dad."

"Good night, boy."

Stoick hung up. Hiccup sighed. Twenty-three years old and his father still refused to acknowledge it. The thoughts about his father were loudly interrupted by his growling stomach. Right. Nourishment. Pasta sounded good. Humming lightly Hiccup strapped his prosthesis back on and made his way back downstairs where Toothless waited for him. On the way down he idly wondered what Astrid's favourite kind of pasta was.

oOo 

_'Quickfire question: favourite kind of pasta?'_

Astrid's heart jumped. Trying to bite back a grin, she texted back, _'Alfredo in terms of fettuchine or spaghetti etc , but Lasagna has a special spot in my heart. Yours? Though I feel like your message served some future reference..'._

Still smiling she set down her phone and turned her attention back to the book in front of her. She was only a couple of pages further in when her phone buzzed again.

 _'you guessed right ;^) Can't go towards Friday unprepared! I'm a man of simple taste, I usually just make good old pomidoro'._

She hummed.

 _'Simple taste, huh?'_

 _'well..'_

 _'Anything else that applies to?'_

He typed, then stopped. Then, _'now you're just messing with me.'_

She laughed. _'You guessed right ;)'_. And after a moment of hesitation she added, _'You had a good evening?'_

She imagined him laugh and run his fingers through his hair.

 _'almost got fried back in the city, but got out alright, everyone else did too. Those are my favourite days'_

 _'I'm really glad - also glad you made it out fine!'_

 _'we also had to rescue a cat from a tree, so I guess that sorta balances it out'_

She snorted and scrunched her nose. _'Was that a pun?'_

A pause. Then, _'what if I said yes?'_

 _'Then I'd say it wasn't PAWrrible.'_

 _'I'm sorry, did you just become the woman of my dreams'_

She knew it was a joke. She could even imagine the tone of voice he'd deadpan this with. And yet, she blushed, her heart singing.

 _'good night then'_ she typed back before she did anything stupid.

Hiccup laid on his bed, Toothless on his chest, his leg propped on his pillow, shielding his wide grin from the darkness with the crook of his arm and only rasped out over his blush, "Good one."

 _So, this was a rather short one, I just wanted to get some first-date afterthoughts and such in. Next up is the ~evening in~!_


	5. Anything Could Happen

_There's so much romantic tension in this one, I wasn't ready_

 _Anything Could Happen_

oOo

Yet again Hiccup found himself confronted with his wardrobe and concluded he had way too little things that were _not_ baggy, out of wool or old loungewear.

He tried to negotiate; in the end, it was still summer and he owned maybe three button-down shirts that looked neat enough.

"Sometimes I don't know if I'm an adult or just faking it," he told Toothless who was lounging on his bed. "On our fifth date she'll see I've run out of options, realise I'm an actual idiot and then leave me. Not that we're together."

He sighed and plopped down next to the cat, who hissed indignantly at the disturbance.

"Sorry," Hiccup mumbled and idly ran his hands through the pitch black fur. "I think I want to, Toothless. Be with her. I don't know. I mean, it's not like I … have a lot of experience. I don't wanna mess this up. But I guess the second date is way too soon and I'm pretty sure she'd let me know when it's too late. Is it too early to ask? I mean, it's just a question, right? Just a harmless little 'Hey, what are we?' … right?"

Toothless blinked and started purring. Hiccup sighed.

"Glad we talked about this."

Toothless yawned.

oOo

His flat didn't really feel like home. It had always felt like _something_ was missing.

But now, with Astrid standing in the middle of his hallway, it didn't seem that bad after all.

She'd been right on time and had beamed up at him, a bottle of wine in her hands. Hiccup was sure he had never opened his door to such a beautiful sight.

"Just, uh, put your shoes anywhere, it's fine," he quickly said and watched her place her shoes next to his.

Right. He'd forgotten his heart could beat this fast. He discovered his heart was able to beat even faster as she quickly wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed him lightly. Hiccup's arms closed around her almost reflexively.

"It's good to see you," she murmured into his chest and let go as quickly as she'd hugged him, leaving a slightly dazed Hiccup who had to wait for his heart to continue beating for a second.

Astrid bit back a wide grin at the expression on his face.

"Likewise," he grinned, focused on her smile. "It's been a week since I last saw you - you didn't set your stove on fire."

She laughed. "I decided to stick to salads and frozen food. Safest decision I ever made."

Hiccup grinned and led her into the kitchen.

"To make up for all the deep-frozen stuff …" he pointed at the oven and grinned even wider as Astrid gasped and inhaled deeply.

"You really made lasagna!"

Hiccup couldn't help but laugh as she hit him lightly with excitement.

"I'll use those quickfire questions more often," he said and Astrid didn't know why but it sounded like a promise, excitement blossoming in her chest.

The kitchen was warm and smelled absolutely amazing. She wondered how long it had taken him to prepare this.

"It should be done in about ten minutes," he mumbled close to her ear, standing right behind her. It was then that Astrid really took notice of the close proximity they had been in the whole time. Quickly she took a step to the side and nodded when he offered, "Let's sit down?"

He led her into the living room. It was a small, cozy room with lots of nooks and crannies but was very sparsely decorated, as if he'd moved in only recently.

"Since when have you been living here?" Astrid asked curiously, looking around. Hiccup looked embarassed, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"Um … five years, give or take?"

Oh. Well. She shot him a quick smirk. "You're not really the decoration type, huh?"

He shrugged. "I would've, I just never found the time," he paused and then quickly added, "No, it just never felt home enough for me to really put effort into it."

Astrid furrowed her brows and turned to him fully this time.

"How come?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe it's just living here in general. Or that I'm living alone with Toothless."

The young woman hummed.

"Or I'm just not home enough, too busy with work," he laughed now and Astrid couldn't help but think, No. You told me the truth the second time you tried to explain.

They both wordlessly agreed to drop the subject. Hiccup turned to say something to her but was interrupted by a black lightning bolt that made a dash for the sofa.

Astrid jumped - tripped over her own feet - crashed into Hiccup - together they fell onto the sofa.

Hiccup swallowed, his face inches away from Astrid's who had landed on top of him, one hand on his chest, the other right next to him on he sofa. The young woman stared at him, her bright blue eyes wide with shock. Her breath was hot on his skin.

 _Oh, god._ He almost groaned at the sensation.

"Um …"

Astrid was mortified.

"I …"

"That … was Toothless," Hiccup got out then, his voice rasp and Astrid thought, 'how have you still not pushed me away?', her nose almost touching his. It would be so easy to just lean forward and-

The oven beeped.

Both of them jumped and immediately Astrid scrambled off of him, Hiccup following her suit.

 _'Right,_ ' he thought through the mist in his head. _'Ten minutes._ ' And then, _'She almost kissed me.'_

Astrid had almost _run_ off into the kitchen, having to catch her breath for a moment and pretend that did _not_ just happen.

 _'Oh, God,'_ she thought, slumping against the copboard. _'I almost_ _ **kissed**_ _him.'_

Astrid tried taking deep breaths to calm her soaring heart. If it hadn't been for that oven she really would have kissed him. Would he want her to? Would he kiss her back? Or just stay still, and then ask her to leave?

Hiccup returned, with the cat in his arms. His crooked, flustered smile almost made her forget to properly breathe in.

"May I introduce … the culprit. Also known as Toothless."

Astrid chuckled breathlessly and didn't fail to notice he seemed to be just as shaken and flustered as her.

Nevertheless she crouched down when Hiccup let the cat down again and offered her hand to the animal.

"Hi, buddy," she crooned softly and smiled when the cat bumped his head against her open palm. "Hi. Nice to meet you. You gave me quite the turn there, Toothless."

Toothless started purring as if agreeing with her and prowled around her legs, making her laugh.

"Okay, so your cat likes me," she declared brightly and smiled at him and felt a weight drop off her chest as he returned her smile just as freely.

"Makes two of us, then," he returned, almost making her forget the scene on the couch had even happened.

He quickly turned off the oven and took out the steaming lasagna.

"Alright, side or middle part?"

oOo

Hiccup was already halfway into his glass of wine when he remembered he didn't usually drink but also found he didn't really care. Maybe it was just her company, but he felt the urge to try something new. So he took another sip but kept it at a full glass

Astrid looked even more beautiful sitting at his table, he found. He couldn't help but think that nobody else should be sitting on that chair, bathed in warm, glowing light, really. Maybe that was the alcohol getting to him. How much wine before he'd be tipsy? Considering he never really drank - his heart rate was already through the roof at the sight of her - it had to be the alcohol. He wondered what would have happened if the oven hadn't beeped earlier.

She'd have kissed him. Maybe. Hopefully.

And he wasn't sure if he'd have held back much after that.

Again, this was the alcohol speaking.

Of course.

Hiccup ignored the fact that he had been thinking about kissing her for weeks now.

She was smiling at him.

"Sorry?"

"Thanks again," she repeated, still smiling - how was it that her smile was enough to warm him entirely? - and laid down her cutlery. "For the lasagna, I mean. I wouldn't even have gotten to completing the sauce. Also, my oven doesn't have an alarm," Astrid tried not to let her mind wander back to the previous moment in his living room (she failed miserably). "And I always forget to set an alarm elsewhere."

Hiccup chuckled. "Next time, just come over if you need a full meal."

How did he manage to make everything he said sound like a promise for a future?

"I'd love to," she heard herself say, not really surprised she was completely truthful.

oOo

They had already finished dinner and moved back onto the couch when Hiccup realised that this was the most home he'd ever felt in his own apartment.

Astrid had looked even more radiant in his kitchen, he'd found and looked as if no other than her should be sitting on the chair opposite to his, really.

Right now she was facing him, her head resting on her arm on the sofa, one leg comfortably tucked under her body.

"By the way, I didn't get to tell you any dark secrets last time."

Hiccup chuckled. "I'm all ears," and in demonstration inched closer and propped up his leg on a pillow, resting it at her side.

Astrid grinned and cleared her throat, mockingly serious. "Alright, let's see … all my friends saved my contact as Ass-strid,"

Toothless, who had been resting between them, jumped at Hiccup's sudden burst of laughter and stared at the young man accusingly.

"And you have my official permission to do that, too, if you like," she continued. "To make up for your nickname."

Hiccup tried to get it together. Really, he tried. But upon meeting her eyes, he burst into another fit of laughter, making her blush and lightly hit his arm.

"Come on, I didn't laugh that much at yours."

"You're right," he cleared his throat, trying to sober up. "Sorry."

Her sparkling eyes gave her away. "You're forgiven."

"Thank you."

"Also I own more fluffy socks than normal ones."

He blinked. "That's … soft."

"Hey, it's a problem. Especially in summer. Ever tried being sockless in high heels for a job you hate?"

His expression grew serious at that. "Which one?" he asked, entirely dropping the subject at hand and moving away from their teasing tone.

Astrid paused, defeated by his softened gaze and quietly admitted, "The waitressing. I'm … I'm at the Smith's every Tuesdays and Wednesdays and some Fridays when it's busy. I hate that place. Never liked bars in general, and even less like the people there, my boss is alright but almost never there 'cause he's busy getting drunk with the customers." The words just kept flowing over her lips - she felt completely safe telling him this, because it was Hiccup. Because his eyes were honest and his hands were gentle. Because he was patient. Because he was listenting, seriously because it was her talking.

"The other waiters don't really care, but that's the thing, they mostly don't even care about the JOB, they don't write things down, and it gets messy. The customers are a whole other story. Some are really nice, but that's maybe ten percent. The other ninety are jerks who wanna go to a bar and get some who think it's acceptable to grope the waitresses. They quickly learn that it's not. I almost got fired for punching instead of letting them."

Finally she stopped, feeling as if a giant weight had been lifted off her chest.

"Then why haven't you quit yet?"

His voice was gentle.

She drew another breath.

"Because I need that job. I'm paying my rents and food with the pet shop money, and the rest I need for the books."

Hiccup furrowed his brows, leaning his head to the side, signalling her to explain.

"I … told you last week I had to postpone becoming a teacher."

He nodded.

"Well. I … I was living with my uncle at the time. And one day he gets up and tells me, he's moving. And that it's time for me to get a job. I had just finished university. He knew that I wanted to start going into teacher training. But he insisted, so I started searching for a job. Elsewhere. I didn't want to stay where I was, especially not after ... that talk with my uncle. So I found a good offer here, reasonable rent, safe location," she smiled slightly at the reference to the fire department. "And a job I could tolerate. So I moved. And he hasn't called since."

Silence engulfed them after she had finished. Astrid had been staring at a very interesting loose thread of his shirt the entire time she had talked. Now the shirt started moving and slowly, ever so gently, Hiccup took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry, Astrid," he whispered softly, searching her gaze. She bit her lip and looked up into honest forest-green eyes, only now registering the tears that had formed in her own and quickly went to wipe them away with her free hand.

"S-sorry," she whispered shakily, wishing she had never even started talking about it. Now she was crying, on a date, with a person she actually _liked,_ and now he had to see her like this! Getting all sentimental over _nothing_ -

Her thoughts were interrupted by calloused fingers that settled on her cheek and gently - how could he be so careful while having such rough hands? - wiped away the tears that had spilled over.

"Don't," he mumbled. "Don't apologise. Least of all to me. Don't apologise for having _feelings._ "

His thumb was now almost absentmindedly stroking her cheek, her eyes wide. The movement stopped abruptly and he quickly lowered his hand again - she wouldn't complain if he continued - but still held her hand in his.

"Astrid, I ..." he broke off, as if searching for the right words. "I have asthma. And … whenever I had an asthma attack, I'd apologise and run off somewhere because I didn't want to bother anybody, 'cause it was my illness, right? It was my inaqequacy, like it was my fault for having it. I didn't want anybody else deal with it.

But one day I didn't have my inhalator with me. And I'd have suffocated if I hadn't told Gobber, who knew which inhalator I was using and got one for me. What I'm trying to say is," he was smiling softly now. "Don't be me. Don't almost die just because you feel like this is only your burden to carry. Even if this was a pretty weird metaphor, I admit."

And Astrid looked at him and thought, 'I'll try if you stay.'

Out loud, she said, "Thank you. For … well."

Before Hiccup realised what was happening her small fist had hit his chest lightly.

" _That's_ for making me talk about this."

"What-"

"And _this_ ," she quickly leant forward and gently pecked him on the cheek. "Is for … everything else."

Part of his heart was singing, _'She kissed me!'_ , the other wondered what he had done to deserve her letting down her guard.

"I think we're almost even now," she husked out, smiling again, probably at his dumbfounded expression. "That's one dark secret on one dark secret."

Hiccup hummed and looked down at their still-joined hands. Then he returned her gaze and said, "Quickfire question." Astrid groaned playfully and chuckled, distractedly wondering just how his voice had managed to easily untie the knot in her chest.

"Alright, just ask."

"A dream except teaching?"

She hummed, running a hand along her braid. "That would probably be travelling, or flying. Like parachuting. Or sky diving."

"Where would you go?"

"Paris, maybe. Or Moscow. Or - oh, Istanbul! Or Hanoi. And I'd love to see the Northern Lights someday."

He chuckled. "Sounds good."

"Why, you finally planning a trip?"

"Maybe."

Astrid couldn't help but return his smile and shifted, curling into the crook of the sofa.

"Okay, my turn: relationship with your parents?"

Hiccup hummed and ran a hand through his hair. "I grew up with my dad, never met my mum, but I had Gobber as adoptive dad, slash uncle, slash godfather, slash trainer, slash the guy whose sofa I crashed on when I had a fight with my dad."

"I'm sorry about your mum," she whispered, already regretting her question. He shrugged.

"I never really got to experience what it's like having one. I mean … it feels weird, 'cause growing up the other kids _had_ a mother and they fought and complained about it, and I just thought, I never got to choose. I never got to fight with her. But Dad sort of made up for that. We used to have what could best be explained as a, say, rocky relationship. He didn't listen and I rarely tried to talk. But we grew out of that. We meet every Wednesday for lunch, so I guess that's a habit."

He grinned at her and quickly, before she could ask him another question, asked, "A thing teenage-Astrid wanted?"

She laughed. "A punching bag."

"A thing now-Astrid wants?"

A pause. "A punching bag," she repeated and laughed, feeling all too light sitting in front of him on his sofa.

He chuckled. " _Solid_."

"Honestly, you just ruined my _punch line_."

"Yeah, well, maybe next time you do that, you should _hit me up_."

Astrid scrunched her nose at him, causing him to grin brightly.

"By the way, I have ice cream," he piped up, a joyous feeling bubbling up in his chest at her excitement.

"What now, you have me on your sofa for an _hour_ before you decide to supply me with information like that?"

He laughed and got up, pulling her with him.

"I needed to make sure you stayed before I gave you all the good stuff."

Her laughter echoed through the hallway and Hiccup was sure he'd never hear a better sound than that.

 _'I stand corrected,'_ he thought five minutes later and hid his blush behind his bowl of ice cream as he watched Astrid take another spoonful of ice cream and MOAN.

"Where'd you get this?" he heard her ask through the mist in his head. "I've been searching for good ice cream for _ages_ and here I am, in your living room, with stuff that doesn't taste like it was made out of cardboard."

"Uh, one of my friends has a little café a couple of blocks from here and it's on my nightly route, so I picked some off yesterday."

Her eyes lit up and she shuffled closer.

"Let's go there sometime! That ice cream is to die for, _plus_ ," she pointed her spoon at him. "I get to meet one of _your_ friends."

He couldn't help but laugh at her. She looked endearing, as excited as she was, even with ice cream on her nose.

"Don't move."

Her expression was priceless as he scooted closer to her, reached out and gently wiped the dollop of ice cream off her freckled nose. Without thinking (which was rare for him but had grown into something like a bad habit he only seemed to have in her company), Hiccup licked it off his finger - then realised what he'd done and almost precicely blushed to the same colour as the strawberry ice in front of him.

"Sorry," he blurted out. "I wasn't really- um. Thinking."

To his surprise (and confusion) Astrid started laughing so hard she almost doubled over.

"Okay, what's so funny? I'm making an _idiot_ out of myself, and you …" he hesitated, searching for words, shrugging helplessly.

Astrid had sobered up now but was still grinning, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, but the fact that you did it isn't really the thing - okay, it kind of is, your face was pretty funny," she explained and flitted her eyes shortly over his body. "But it's also you doing something sexy and not realising. And if you do realise you're backing away immediately." Her eyes were fixing his own now. "For some reason."

He swallowed and still looked at her, completely incredulous.

"What … about me is _sexy?_ " he asked, partly in utter disbelief that Astrid was the one calling him sexy and not the other way round. Another part of him was desperate to know so he could do them more often - again, the alcohol speaking, of course.

Astrid chuckled, seemingly surprised at his utter lack of understanding and set her ice cream aside.

"Okay, so there's … running your hands through your hair, for one." She waved at the auburn mess on his head, counting on her fingers. "Then there would be the fact that you're a fireman, which should speak for this all in itself-"

"How is an occupation-"

"First of all, the general facing-death-thing and you know, saving people and pets and all that. Then there's the helmet thing, which _could_ be specific for you, but I'm not sure. You should see yourself when you're walking out of my kitchen and take off that helmet. Anyways. That's that about your job, then there's your reaction to meeting Tuff, which," she chuckled. "Was a bit mean, I admit. But you _did_ look jealous - don't think I didn't notice!"

"You weren't supposed to," he said weakly and slumped his shoulders.

"Hey," Astrid's hand gently touched his shoulder and he looked back up at her. "Everything I just said were positive things. Some of which may or may not drive me crazy."

She offered him a smile that made his heart skip a beat. Hiccup blinked. Astrid sighed, a small smile still playing on her lips.

"What I'm trying to _say_ , Hiccup, is, that you have no reason to retreat anytime something like that happens. It's …" she paused, searching for the right word and offered him multiple ones. "Good. Endearing. Incredibly attractive. And a bit funny."

"Okay," he huffed out a laugh, finally relaxing. "Good."

"And I'm not just saying that because you lifted the ice cream mystery."

There. A grin blossomed on his face and Astrid had succeeded. Her success became even more tangible as a pillow hit her gently.

"Come on, I know that." He paused and grinned. "It was also the lasagna."

She threw the pillow back at him.

He caught it, still smiling. Astrid leaned back onto her arm again, watching him intently.

"Quickfire question. Why become a fireman?"

"Why not?"

"A leg that you lost _because_ of a fire and _asthma_." She grinned. "Considering these it sounds like you have a death wish."

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Well. I guess it _is_ pretty stupid. But you know, never let that hold me back. I think … fire fascinates me, for one and I don't really know why. Then, of course, I thought, how can I help people? How can I be _useful_? I want to … _change_ things, I want to improve things."

She hummed in understanding.

"You know what's funny? I had the exact same thought process, just that my mind ended up with teaching, and not with risking my life on a daily basis for the sake of it."

Hiccup laughed, bumping his prosthesis against her leg. "Children can be pretty dangerous. One minute one's crying because their goldfish died, the next second there's a fist fight on the yard and next period you have a class of hormonal teenagers who either just got _into_ a relationship or freshly got _out_ of one."

She rasied an eyebrow. "That's what I call good high school memories."

" _That_ was a free outlook of your future," he retorted, grinning crookedly.

Astrid snorted and asked, "Alright, Mr Fortune Teller, any other outlooks you have to offer?" She trailed a finger across his collar bone to his chest, poking him there.

Hiccup tried to surpress the shudder at that sensation and replied, "Well. You could, of course, pursue your career. I do see a lot of happiness in this possible future, yes. Imagine: no more careless collegues, stupid costumers … just careless collegues and stupid children who-" she swatted at his chest, laughing when he gently grabbed her wrist and stilled her. "Okay, forget that one," he chuckled, his eyes soft. "Chase it. I see academical fulfillment."

"You do?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Alright. What else? Any … _people_ who might influence me?" Her tone was light, teasing almost as she marvelled at the way Hiccup's eyes were glowing in the soft light of the living room. "Well," he had not let go of her wrist yet and now trailed his fingers towards himself so he could intertwine his fingers with hers."There MIGHT be a - I believe you called him an _incredibly attractive_ young man, who, if you play your cards right-"

"Oh, shut up."

He laughed.

"Am I wrong?"

"You're pushing it, Haddock."

He smirked. "Back to last names, _Hofferson_?"

He took another light punch to the chest, his smile never faltering. Their faces were, for the second time this evening, only inches apart.

The air between them was prickling.

It was a moment.

Astrid pulled back.

Hiccup smiled at her and brushed a stray strand of hair back into her fringe.

"Quickfire question," he husked and Astrid grinned brightly. "If I asked you out on a third date, would you say yes?"

Her grin widened, her hands found his chest and pushed him back lightly.

"Only if you let me ask _you_ out next time."

Their breaths mingled.

Next time.

oOo

 _Okay, so I KNOW everyone's probably waiting for a kiss to happen but I just??? I mean they're already a bit much considering this is their second date, so I thought a kiss would DEFINITELY be too much, so we'll just roll with the tension and this little game of 'who takes the next step'_


	6. Maybe

_Pretty short one today, but we have a whole lot of awkwardness in here!_ oOo

 _Chapter 6 - Maybe_

Two days later, Hiccup sealed a big tupperware box and made his way out into the city. His shift didn't start until nine PM, so he still had plenty of time to spare.

The pet shop had never been hard to find; on his first walks through the city alone at night Hiccup had discovered it between a bakery and a bookshop.

A bell chimed as he opened the door and carefully looked around. An elderly woman stood behind the counter, smiling warmly at him.

"Hiccup, dear, hello!"

The young man smiled and stepped closer. "Gothi, hi. How are you?"

"Oh, the sign is new, yes."

"No, I - that's nice. How are you?" Hiccup repearted, louder this time.

"It's new! Yes!" She shouted back and Hiccup gave up.

"Is Astrid in the back?"

"What yak?"

"No, not a -" he sighed. "I'll check myself."

'The back' always promised to be a magical land of supplies and wonder; reality proved the back to only be a small room with a counter, a table and two chairs, a fridge and a locker. There was another door leading to what Hiccup presumed to be the bathroom and one with an old sign that read 'OFFICE' in pale capital letters. Carefully he peeked around the corner and felt his heart jump at the sight of Astrid sitting at the table, a mug in her hands, scanning over a newspaper.

He knocked against the doorframe and watched her raise her head -

Astrid's face lit up immediately at the sight of him.

"Hiccup!"

With a couple of steps she had already crossed the room and stood in front of him, laughing softly when he wrapped his arms around her and shortly spun her around.

"What're you doing here?"

"Oh, I just thought you might fancy some lunch." He grinned and pulled out the container, making her gasp.

"Thank you! That's ... don't you have to work too?"

He grinned lopsidedly at her and ran a hand through his hair. "Night shift," he explained. "Doesn't start until nine PM. I just wanted to drop this by and then I'm back to hitting the mattress for tonight."

He watched her place the container into the fridge and take out two glasses and a bottle of water, smiling up at him.

"But I _guess_ I could make time for another ten minutes," he streched, already sitting down, making her laugh and almost spill his drink.

oOo

She had kissed him goodbye on the cheek, making every step he took after that feel like he was flying.

Granted, it was hard sleeping after that.

Toothless had curled up on his chest, purring loudly as Hiccup stared up at the ceiling of his dark room, silently wondering what it would be like having her next to him.

He closed his eyes, remembering the weight of her hands against his chest and imagined pulling her against him until not an inch was left between them.

He groaned, violently scrubbing his hands over his face.

"Face it, Haddock," he muttered to himself. "You can't even kiss her on the cheek. How exactly are you planning on having her lie next to you?"

Fact was, going as far as holding her hand sent sparks down his spine and the thought of doing anything more than that sent shudders across his skin.

That had never really happened before, he realised. He couldn't remember any time he had felt attracted to another person the way he was attracted to Astrid.

But how was this different?

Maybe it was her. Or he had simply got older.

Hiccup stared into the darkness and realised that it was probably (definitely) her.

oOo

His door bell rang at exactly 8:30 PM. Toothbrush between his teeth, still only clad in a big towel, Hiccup quickly skitted to a halt in front of the door.

Probably just another package falsely being dropped at his address.

He almost swallowed his toothpaste when it was, in fact, not the mailman.

Astrid.

Astrid, standing in the doorway, offering an empty container.

 _Astrid_ , slowly letting her eyes wander across the length of his body, then blushing furiously and almost dropping said container.

Astrid, _still_ not averting her eyes. Instead, they were fixed on his chest.

"Uh." He cleared his throat as well as he could through the toothpaste and toothbrush.

"Shanksh." He pointed at the container.

"You're … welcome."

Awkward silence. More staring (Hiccup began thinking that maybe it was fully _intentional_ ) from her side.

"Myou wanna c'm in or," he mumbled and finally she shook herself out of her stupor.

"Oh, no, you - seem … busy. I'll, um. Get … going now. Yes. Good night."

And with that she turned on her heels, fled down the staircase and quickly slammed the door shut. Hiccup exhaled and shuffled back to the bathroom to finally get rid of the toothpaste.

Mere seconds later it rang a second time.

Upon opening he already knew it was Astrid (yet, he had not done anything for his upper body's modesty), who presented the container to him with outstreched arms.

"I … forgot to give this to you," she mumbled and already made her way back to the staircase. Hiccup felt yet again like he had back then before asking her number; and again, he wasn't really thinking (was it just her?).

Quickly he caught her by the wrist and held her back, spun her around and searched her gaze.

"Where do you think you're going?"

His tone was light, disguising his jittery heart and his desperate attempt to gather all his courage - he quickly pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Good night," he husked and stepped back, letting go of her hand. She bit back a grin, nodded and then stood on her tiptoes, leaned in and whispered into the darkness, "Don't you dare getting fried tonight."

oOo

It was the crack of dawn by the time Hiccup dragged himself through the door the next morning. Bathtub, cold water, diffuser, bed. Preferably in that exact order. He slumped upstairs after opening a can of cat food and unceremoneously dumping it into Toothless' bowl and slowly rid himself of his clothing on the way up.

He shivered as he stepped into the bathroom but stuck to a cold shower nontheless, not having the desire for more heat tonight that he'd already had.

People caused way too many fires, he thought hazily as he started scrubbing the sod and ash off of his skin.

At least everybody came out alive. That was the main goal. Get there in time and get everyone out alive. Tonight there had been three cases of smoke poisining and two minor degree burns but they'd driven them to the hospital nontheless.

Hiccup bit back a muffled grunt as he touched his stump. _'I'm helping people, I'm helping people, I'm **helping** people.'_ His daily mantra.

"Astrid was right," he groaned into his empty bathroom. "It's a death wish."

Astrid couldn't sleep. The image of a wet-haired, towel-clad Hiccup had burned itself into her mind. She groaned and turned onto her left side. Of course, he wasn't only considerate and funny and challenging, no, he also just _had_ to have a body like this.

She absentmindedly wondered which kind of toothpaste he used.

The look on his face had been priceless, though. And there had been a second emotion the second time she'd been at his door, something … else. Determination? It had felt like more thab that, something she couldn't really put her finger on. All Astrid knew now was that the air between them had felt electrified, just like two days ago. She'd been daring, she knew that, as she'd initiated the conversation about his … behaviour. And her move with the collar bone had _definitely_ been something that shouldn't even be allowed, especially not on a second date. But he'd let her. And she hadn't failed to notice him shudder lightly at her action.

Her mind once again provided her with towel-Hiccup. Sighing Astrid reached out to her phone. She hesitated for a few seconds, then typed, ' _Sorry i stared at you.',_ deleted it, wrote it again, rephrased it and deleted it once more.

oOo

Hiccup was already at work when his phone buzzed the next day. His heart did a small somersault as he saw it was from Astrid.

' _Sorry about yesterday night…'_

He blushed involuntarily.

' _don't worry, it's okay'_

 _… 'unless you're repulsed by me now'_

She typed. Stopped. Then, _'Remember our talk about your ... antics?'_

 _'Yeah?'_

 _'Add that to the list.'_

Hiccup couldn't help but laugh quietly and hid his blush behind his phone.

' _remind me to make a list for you too. we need to balance that out'_

Suddenly his phone started _ringing_ , Astrid's face all over the screen.

"Tired of texting already?"

She laughed. "Shut up. I just grew impatient and wanted to hear your voice now that I know you don't hate me."

Hiccup chuckled and leaned back into his chair. "Are you at work?"

She hummed. "Yeah, on my break. Today's been pretty sparse."

"My shift's in about two hours and I _just_ remembered I ran out of cat litter."

"Did you?"

He imagined her raise an eyebrow at him to match her teasing tone.

"Oh yeah, it's very urgent."

The young woman hummed again, pretending to be deep-in thought. When she spoke again Hiccup could almost hear her grin.

"I'll pick you up at 3:30, we're trying out the café."

"Is that a threat?"

She laughed brightly. "That's an outlook on your future."

oOo

 _The next chapter might take me a bit longer, I'm spending time with my family over the holidays._ _Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates, and to those who don't really, happy weekend!_


	7. Maybe Definitely

_Guess who made lasagna today ;^)_

 _Happy new year, guys! Man, I can't believe 2017 is over already, this year felt like it was over in a bLINK honestly._

 _Also can't believe this chapter took me so long, I think I've had to start over three times until I came up with something I was satisfied with!_

 _Anyways, here's the new chapter with a little twist, enjoy ~_

* * *

 _Chapter 7 - Maybe Definitely_

* * *

Hiccup sighed and threw a glance at the clock, mindlessly clicking around in his opened document. 22:35.

He'd been trying to finish up his report for more than half an hour, which was significantly exheeding his usual set time of fifteen minutes.

"You're still here?" a voice behind him intoned and Hiccup turned around to see Snotlout enter the room and place his helmet on the desk next to his.

"Yeah," Hiccup mumbled, feeling the effect of his extra strong tea earlier wear off slowly but surely. "I wanted to finish today's report. Which I did. And then I thought, I still haven't written the report for yesterday."

"Woah, what's up with Mr Too-fast-for-deadlines?" his cousin asked, looking sincerely surprised. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he repeated, dragging a hand through his hair. "Just … busy."

"Ooh, right, your girlfriend."

Hiccup's head shot up, glaring. Snotlout shrugged.

"Gobber told me. Well, technically, your dad told me. But Gobber told him so basically it was _him_ who told me."

"Doesn't _anything_ regarding my personal life stay personal? And she's … she's not my girlfriend."

"You showed up to her _workplace_ with lasagna you made specifically for her because it's her favourite food, Hiccup. That is _such_ a boyfriend-thing to do. Though I guess it's very you. Most people wouldn't bother."

"How did you even-"

"Hey, don't blame me for being your cousin! Things get around, okay? My dad was out getting coffee, saw you, told _your_ dad who told _him_ that-"

"Alright, alright," Hiccup interrupted him, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I get it. Note to self, never tell Dad anything concerning Astrid again if I want it to stay between us."

Snotlout laughed and good-naturedly nudged his cousin's arm.

"Come on, Hic, I don't mean any harm. Neither does he, you know that. He's just excited for you."

Hiccup sighed. "I know."

"I'm too, by the way," Snotlout mumbled. "It's kind of really cool seeing you this happy."

The auburn-hair man stopped and finally smiled at his cousin. "Thanks, Snotlout."

Snotlout sniffed, trying to shake off his earlier sentiment. "Yeah, whatever. Just go to sleep before I knock you out myself."

Hiccup grinned and got up. "You sound _just_ like Gobber."

"Shut up."

He laughed.

* * *

The doorbell was ringing, making Astrid jump. She rarely had any visitors at a time like this. Maybe it was just Ruff who had forgot her keys again, needing a place to crash.

She opened the door.

It wasn't Rachel.

 _Hiccup_.

Hiccup, his forest-green eyes dark and his hair messy as if he'd run his hands through it countless of times.

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped and took a step closer.

"Hiccup, what-"

She was silenced by his lips suddenly crashing down on hers. Astrid stumbled back, shock fading as his hands cupped her face, hers suddenly tangled in his hair, pulling him down to her.

They stumbled into her flat, her back hitting the wall of her hallway with a low ' _Thud_ '.

All she felt was his calloused fingers on her skin, leaving invisible imprints, his lips - oh, _God_ \- almost desperately pressing to hers.

"What took you so long," she gasped into the kiss and fisted her hands into the material of his shirt, pulling him closer still.

His breath was hot against her skin. He smelled of toothpaste, making her smile against his lips. Hiccup pulled away, frowning shortly.

"I don't," he kissed her again, gently this time. "Know."

Her hands wrapped around his neck as he continued working his lips against hers, chasing sparks down her skin. He was pressing her against the wall, not an inch left between their bodies as she lightly pushed her tongue into his mouth. Hiccup groaned and let his hands wander to her waist. Ever so slowly he brushed her tongue against hers, making her knees weak.

"Hiccup," she gasped against his lips, tightening her grip around his shoulders -

Astrid opened her eyes, her racing heart the only sound in her dark bedroom.

Heat crawled up to her face as she realised what had happened.

"Oh, _God_ ," she groaned, hiding her burning face in her hands. "Oh my god …"

It had been a dream. Of course it had been a dream. Hiccup wouldn't just _barge_ in like that and start _kissing_ her, he'd … he'd … oh, what did it matter _what_ he'd do, when _she_ was the one dreaming about it! Not only dream but also _enjoy_ the idea of it …

"God, what is _wrong_ with me?" she mumbled into the emptiness of her room, almost swearing she could have tasted the toothpaste from his mouth.

Alright. So it had been a couple of days since she'd last saw him, so what? So _what_ that she couldn't walk past that café anymore without thinking about Hiccup drenched in sunlight? So _what_ that he'd held her hand on the table and hadn't let go even as his friend had asked for their orders? So _what_ that she hard trouble keeping him out of her mind and found herself craving his company? That didn't say anything.

Astrid sat in darkness and realised that there was no turning back now.

"… _shit_."

* * *

He'd been tired all day and now he was in bed and couldn't sleep. Typical.

Hiccup groaned and turned around to face the wall, careful as to not disturb Toothless who had curled up around his legs - well, leg and a half.

It had been days, and yet he couldn't stop thinking about their visit to the café.

Astrid had introduced herself to Fishlegs as his date - which was true, they _were_ dating.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Snot's words were still ringing in his ears.

 _'That's a very boyfriend-thing to do.'_

They were only dating.

He wanted to be more to her, still. He wanted to keep doing these things simply because it made her smile. He wanted to make her happy.

Hiccup closed his eyes, trying not to think about how he'd give up eating anything else than ice cream for his lunch breaks if it meant he got to see her laugh at him with cream on his chin.

Hiccup awoke by the sound of his phone ringing.

Groggily he reached for it and slurred, "'llo?"

"Hiccup?"

He immediately sobered up and sat up. "Astrid, hi, Astrid, _hey_ … Astrid."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just, uh … just woke up."

He started fumbling for the bottle of water somewhere next to his bed.

Astrid gasped on the other line. "Go back to sleep! I'm sorry-"

"It's okay. Really. I should've gotten up anyway." He smiled.

"Oh, okay. Listen, I was just wondering if - you have time somewhen this week, maybe on Friday?"

It had been three days since he'd last seen her.

He didn't really _miss_ her per se. It's just that he'd sometime like to have company, hers to be specific. He simply didn't like her absence at times. His heart jumped as he realised that this was quite literally the definition of missing someone.

He didn't even pretened to think about it and quickly said, "Yes! Friday. Friday's … yeah."

She chuckled and after a small pause softly said, "I've missed you."

His heart skipped a beat.

"You too," he rasped out. "It's weird to think it's only been a couple of days, huh."

She laughed lightly. "Yeah. I think I set a new record for not setting my stove on fire."

He hummed. "We should celebrate that on Friday."

He imagined her lean in and smirk. "Define 'celebrate'."

"You want the oxford-version or mine?"

Astrid laughed. "Come on."

"Alright, so, I was thinking you, me, non-frozen food …"

"You had me at 'celebrate'. We could cook together."

He grinned and peeled himself out of his covers. "Not sure if I'm willing to take that risk."

"Says the fireman with asthma," she retorted dryly and Hiccup laughed.

"On the other hand, I've missed Toothless too," she grinned audibly. "So I'm coming over."

Hiccup chuckled and quickly strapped his prosthesis back on.

"Okay, so same as last time? Or earlier, if you want."

He could hear her grin. "Someone seems to be keen on spending time with me."

The answer came easy to him in full sincerity as he softly replied, "I am."

She paused. Maybe she'd be blushing. God, she was endearing.

"I'll be earlier then."

Hiccup grinned and strode through his room towards the drawer. "Okay. Any ideas on what we'll make?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "How about something you like?"

 _'I like **you**_ ,' he thought but kept his mouth shut, pulling out a fresh pair of socks and screwed his eyes shut at the thought.

"How about sushi?" he managed instead. "It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it and practically impossible to burn."

"Oh, yes! Sushi's great, let's do that. And, um, if you want we could get the ingredients together? You know, so there's no room for any misunderstandings."

Hiccup felt his face heat up. Going Grocery-shopping together. Another thing people who were "just" dating didn't usually do.

"Y-yeah," he croaked. "Let's. I'll, uh. See you on Friday, then."

"Great, see you!" Astrid grinned audibly. "Just don't get into any danger until then."

He chuckled. "I'll be careful. Bye."

She bid her goodbye and hung up, leaving a still slightly flustered Hiccup standing in silence, mismatching socks in his other hand.

He stared down at the screen where her contact was still opened.

He'd taken the picture of her during their second date. She was grinning freely at the camera, her eyes sparkling in the low light of his living room, her freckles looking like faint paint splatters on her fair skin.

His useless heard sped up at the memory.

Slowly he set the phone down, let the socks fall and slumped back onto his bed, fisting his hands in his hair.

She was magnetizing.

And he was utterly, hopelessly captivated by her.

* * *

 _(distant screaming) THAT KISSING DREAM THO_


	8. Sunrise

_Here we go, another chapter (not as short as I originally planned it to be, I got carried away again) before the next date!_

 _This will be last you'll see of me for the next 2-3ish weeks, sadly, as my a-levels are coming up (ohgodwhy)._

* * *

 _Chapter 8 - Sunlight_

* * *

Astrid skidded to a halt in front her calendar on the kitchen wall, coffee mug still in her hand.

She quickly retrieved a pen from a kitchen drawer and scribbled into the space for Friday, _'date w/ Hiccup 15:30!_ '. She grinned into her mug. So far she'd already mentioned him four times in a calendar she hadn't really used before. Except ... her gaze fell onto the date she had circled multiple times in red.

17th July.

A surge of energy went through her as she edged the date into her memory.

Okay. Two more weeks. Only two more weeks, then she'd have enough. Then she could finally quit and embark on a better journey.

Academical fulfillment, as someone had called it.

 _'Chase it.'_

Oh, she would. And she was close to catching up.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

The sun had already started to rise by the time Astrid left her apartment for her morning run.

Now it painted Berk with soft shades of pink and orange, peeking just over the rooftops of the city. The young woman picked up a faster pace as she skipped around the corner, her feet beating the concrete in a steady rhythm.

Ten minutes later, however, Astrid felt as though she might collapse every given second now and came to a halt, panting, clutching her chest.

 _'Shit,_ ' she thought. ' _Am I just out of shape or going into cardiac arrest?'_

She tried to walk on her wobbling legs and actually made it to the next turn before she decided she'd very much like to sit down, just for a minute or two.

' _This is fine,_ ' she thought, trying to breathe as evenly and deeply as possible. ' _Inhale. Long exhale. Why did I ever stop running? Was snoozing EVER that good? Why did I have to trick myself into thinking I wouldn't enjoy running just to be stuck with THIS?'_

Okay. She needed to get up. Sitting around on concrete wasn't going to get her back in shape.

So she heaved herself up and started walking, carefully watching her wobbly legs until she trusted them again.

Which wasn't the wisest decision as far as the occupation of her eyes went, she quickly realised as she collided with something.

Something solid.

Something warm.

Some _one_ -

" _Hiccup?_ " his name had tumbled off her lips before she'd even seen his face.

He was currently scrambling to pick up his headphones.

"Ooh, my god," he mumbled, "I am _so_ sorry." Then he straightened up again, blinked and looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

She grinned at his dumbfounded expression.

"You okay?"

Hiccup looked at her and suddenly he noticed the sun had come up and he wondered where his head had been.

"Hi," was the best he could come up with. "I, uh, didn't - wait. Let me start over."

Hiccup's heart was still racing, albeit not from running previously.

He inhaled and somehow his hands gravitated towards her as they uncurled, relieving the tension of his body.

"Good morning. I'm sorry for running into you - not, I mean, not running into _you_ but _running_ into -" he broke off, hoping she would release him from this misery.

Astrid laughed and took an involuntary step closer to the young man, part of her reminiscing about their first phone call, another part of her relishing in how adorable he looked, his cheeks flushed not only from running.

"I didn't look where I was going," she answered truthfully and watched his chest deflate as he exhaled. "But it's nice seeing you, too."

' _ **Really**_ _nice_ ,' she added internally as she took in his pushed-back and slightly damp hair, revealing his freckled forehead. Her eyes flickered to his upper body, just for a split second, to find his form hidden by a baggy t-shirt with the logo of the fire department on it.

Hiccup _knew_ she was staring at him. If anything, their shared silence made it obvious. He tried not to stare back. _Tried_.

Well, A for effort.

He'd also be lying if he said that Astrid, her hair tied up to a ponytail, fringe pinned to the side, clad in a top and running shorts _wasn't_ the best thing he'd seen all morning. Maybe even all week.

He quickly got to his senses, however, and gulped, his throat dry not only from running anymore.

He managed a weak "You, too," which made her meet his eyes again.

At least they still had the decency to both blush.

He watched her furrow her brow as if trying to piece something together, then she slowly asked, "How come you're out, though? Didn't you say you usually do this at night?"

He chuckled and pushed his hair back simply to somehow occupy at least one hand.

"It's a night shift week. So I usually go for a run really early and then sleep for another couple hours."

She nodded, still flushed and Hiccup offered her a toothgapped grin, which she easily returned.

"I didn't know you were a running person," he added. "You always up this early?"

Astrid laughed, waving off. "I wish. There was a time I was, but then I started slacking off, with the night shifts and all that. But I'm trying to get back into it."

If he had taken longer than 0.4 seconds to think about his next sentence, Hiccup would probably have cancelled it.

"Hey, if you'd - if you'd like, we could go running together sometimes. I find it's much easier if someone's forcing you to do it," he laughed nervously, his hand back in his hair, already regretting he asked this. She was Astrid, she wasn't just going to let-

"If you want to, yeah!"

He blinked.

Astrid tightened her scrunchy, a smile dancing around the corners of her lips.

"You're gonna have to go easy on me, though. I just jogged ten minutes and had to sit down for another five."

"Don't worry, " he said, still surprised by his own boldness. "You're up against a one-legged guy with asthma, how bad can it be?"

She laughed. "Yeah, but he also has a job that requires him to be on alert for more than 50 hours per week, so."

"Wait, how did you …?"

"Did you seriously think you were the only one doing some research?"

"I haven't done any …"

She smirked and raised an eyebrow. "The lasagna? My _workplace_ which I never mentioned to you by name?"

"You're saying this as if Berk was overflowing with pet shops," Hiccup muttered and earned a playful nudge in his ribs.

"Here I was, thinking there were. Turns out Gothi's known you since you were a little mite."

'I'm barely thinking when I'm with you,' he wanted to say but bit his tongue and muttered, "Gothi knows practically all of Berk since they were little mites."

Astrid laughed and sqrunched her nose at him. There it was again. This distant memory of something that had not happened yet.

"Astrid?"

"Hm?" Her eyes were sparkling, reflecting the golden hues of the sun, making them look like lapis lazulis.

"Are you good with flowers?"

She paused, giving him a puzzled look, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Flowers? Why …"

"Oh, um, nevermind," he answered quickly, feeling his face heat up. "When did we want to meet up again tomorrow? I was thinking we could go to the market, they also have freshly caught fish."

To his relief Astrid did not seem to dwell on his question and replied breezily, "15:30, I just put it in my calendar."

"You … you put our dates in your calendar?"

Hiccup felt as though he only had two working braincells left upon seeing her smile.

"Well, yeah," she explained and he could have sworn he saw her blush at her next words. "Otherwise I'd forget how many dates we've been on."

Well, there it was. If Hiccup hadn't already been head over heels for the woman in front of him, this would have definitely sealed the deal.

For now, it was enough to make his heart skip a beat and confirm that she seemed just as occupied with this as he was.

"Well, how - how many have it been?"

"If we were to count the time you brought me the lasagna as a date, then four."

' _Four_ ,' Hiccup thought distractedly. _'Is four enough to be asking her?'_

"Um," he said eloquently.

Astrid snorted, a smile returning to her lips but she waited for him to sort his two cells until he finally opened his mouth.

"Four, huh. I, uh, listen, I'm - how do I say this?"

"If you're going to tell me you're actually married I will punch you, you know that, don't you?"

"What? I - no! How could you-"

She laughed, nudging him again. "Come on, I'm just kidding." Her expression grew softer. Her hand stayed on his forearm. "You're actually worrying me a bit."

'It's a scary thing to ask,' he wanted to say but his voice failed him as she continued softly, "You don't need to think about _how_ you say it, you know. At least not - at least not with me."

He let out a short pant, the ghost of a smile lingering on his lips.

"Okay. I, uh, actually wanted to ask this for some time, but it was probably too early, I don't know.

I … Astrid, I really - really, _really_ like you and - and if it's alright with you, I'd like to keep seeing you. Exclusively."

Astrid stopped, openly surprised, her arm falling to her side as she looked up at him. Part of her felt as if she hadn't fully comprehended the full meaning of his words yet.

Then again, out here on the streets, his eyes only fixed on her, it sounded like a promise.

"You mean it?"

Hiccup almost laughted at the disbelief in her voice. "Of course," he stressed and quickly reached out to take her hands in his.

She did not pull them away.

"And do you," he asked, his voice low, eyes searching hers. "Want to continue … this?"

He let go of her hand to wave aimlessly back and forth between them.

" _Yes_ ," Astrid blurted, now grabbing his hand, maybe a bit too quickly but she couldn't bring herself to care. "I do. You don't even know how much _more_ than alright this is with me."

For a couple of moments Hiccup only stared at her, seeing revelations and endless skies in her expression.

A slow grin blossomed on his face. Then the happiness that had bubbled up inside of him gave itself way in a breathless chuckle, not quite believing his luck.

And suddenly they gravitated towards each other, sparks soaring away in a warm breeze as they collided.

Astrid buried her face in his chest, her hands clutching around the fabric of the shirt around his shoulderblades.

She felt Hiccup exhale slowly and press the ghost of a kiss on the crown of her head. Astrid closed her eyes.

She had never been good with flowers. But she was willing to try.

* * *

 _I'm enjoying the spark-theme way too much and the flower and space images too! Someone take my phone away from me!_


	9. Night Shifts

_(My written a-levels are finally over, I'm still alive!)_

 _I'm gonna be honest here, I think this is one of my if not_ _ **the**_ _most favourite chapters I've written so far!_

 _Ooh also, if you like listening to music while reading, i highly recommend "Bring me the night" by Sam Tsui feat. Kina Grannis, "Dynamite" and "Known You Forever" by Sigrid, and "Paris" (cover) by Adam Christopher feat. Ashlynn Early (at least for the Hiccstrid scenes, haha)!_

 _Replies! To my wonderful guests! (I'm gonna sort this by dates, whoops)_

 _ **08/01** : Haha, you're welcome, I'm very happy you enjoy the story!_

 _ **16/01** : Honestly, buddy, same, I continued as soon as I was done with the exams, haha_

 _ **22/01** : (happy screaming) thANK YOU SO MUCH ASDFJHGHLI'm so glad you like it and thanks for reading! Also, good luck with your GCSEs! If I could _you it _, you can, too! :D_

* * *

 _Chapter 9 - Night Shifts_

* * *

Gobber couldn't believe his eyes. What had originally started as a casual glance out the window had spiralled and now consisted of him staring down at the sight on the street in front of the fire department in parts fascination and parts complete and utter disbelief.

There he was, his colleague who might as well be his own son, the boy with the gapped front teeth and the scraped knees, the young man who was so busy reading that he forgot to eat sometimes, and the man who had told him, only a few months ago, that if his fate was to become an old cat lady it would be fine with him - beaming at the young woman facing him. She had blonde hair, tied up to a ponytail and was dressed, similarily to him, in sports clothes. They were still talking as they came to a halt in front of the building, both smiling at each other.

And of course, Gobber _knew_ that this was Astrid Hofferson.

He watched Hiccup - _Hiccup_ \- grin down at her and gently press his lips to her cheeck (Gobber almost had a heart attack), then shortly hug her and turn around to walk up to the building, still grinning from ear to ear.

Well. Gobber remembered the first time the young woman had set her stove on fire. He remembered the exact expression Hiccup had had on his face and the way his eyes were flickering to the side when he'd mumbled something about his ears only being "this red, Gobber, because we were just near a fire, it was _hot_ in there" after they had already been outside again for at least five minutes.

Gobber tried to act normal as the door opened and closed with a click.

"Morning!"

"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up to work!"

Hiccup placed his phone and headphones onto his desk, ducking away from Gobber's prosthetic arm.

"Sorry, I got held up."

"Yeah, I could see you getting held up alright - in the arms of a certain young blonde, I believe?"

He watched Hiccup's cheek flush and laughed, giving him an enthusiastic pat on the back.

"Was about time, boy! You were one arm and three cats away from becoming me."

Hiccup snorted, "Yeah, right. Don't think having a girlfried will deter me from adapting that lifestyle."

There were not many things you could get past Gobber without noticing. And _words_ , no matter how fast- or low-spoken were definitely _not_ on that list.

" _Girlfriend_ now, eh?"

"I, uh - I mean - oh, man."

Hiccup looked at him, a bewildered expression on his face as if he'd only realised this for himself just now, his hands already flying up to his hair.

"Ooh my God, Gobber, she's my girlfriend. She's my _girlfriend_ ," he repeated as if this alone had been something he had never thought to actually be possible.

"Oh, boy," the older man chuckled upon seeing Hiccup's disbelief change to surprise to complete and utter _joy_.

"Astrid. Hofferson. Is. My girlfriend."

"Yeah, how'd you do that? I'm surprised you're able to hold up a conversation with that vocabulary you've got yourself, boy."

* * *

Hiccup had not really thought about this earlier when Astrid had accompanied him back to work instead of his apartment, but _now_ , standing in front of his locker next to the bathroom, his only options for the monthly meeting with the mayor and comissioners a crumpled-up old shirt with Toothless' handiwork at the hem and gym shorts, he regretted not having stopped by at his apartment prior to this.

The young man uttered a curse on his breath but knew he didn't really have time to explore any further options.

So he quickly grabbed the shirt, returned to the bathroom and pulled it over his head, stepped out of his towel and put the remaining clothes on.

He couldn't wait until this day was over. The morning run had energised him, but a nine-hour response-shift ahead and a two-hour meeting were already pretty high on the list of things that would use up that energy.

Thinking about said run - or rather, its aftermath- , however, sent his heart spiralling and made him grin at his reflection in the department's bathroom mirror.

She'd said yes. To being his girlfriend, essentially. Or had she? Had she misunderstood him and had only agreed to an extended status of "just dating"?

Oh, God. Suddenly Hiccup didn't feel all that confident anymore.

"Okay," He leaned on the edges on the sink and stared at his ruffled, still wet-haired reflection. "Stop it. Get it together. Just ask her tomorrow, just to clarify."

Yes. Just to make sure they were on the same page.

His thoughts went - in an effort to take his mind off the question of their 'status' - over the preparations left to be made for their date. He'd have to sweep the flat over before 15:30, and clean the bathroom thoroughly. Also maybe dust off the shelves. Get something to wear - oh, no. He remembered his last confrontationnwith his wardrobe situatuon.

This was their fifth date.

He was out of shirts.

 _Shit_.

* * *

"Hey, Gobber, you ready to-" Hiccup broke off when he saw Snotlout at his desk, waving at him.

"Yo."

Hiccup stepped in further, furrowung his brows in confusion.

"Where's Gobber?"

"Went to get lunch."

"What? The meeting's in five minutes, and we're already running late! When did he leave? Did he say anything about when-"

"Woah, take it easy, cuz," his cousin interrupted him lightly and spun his chair around. "Gobber's been late to these meetings since they exist."

Hiccup exhaled and chuckled, sitting down next to the dark-haired man.

"Okay, true. How's your morning been?"

"It was okay. Pretty chill. I took Hooky out for our morning walk - did _you_ know Fish is out of town?"

Hiccup's head perked up. "He is?"

"Yeah, the café's all closed up."

"Huh. No, he didn't mention," Hiccup leaned on his desk and squinted his eyes at his cousin. "He usually always lets us know."

"Maybe something urgent came up and he's not ready to talk about it yet?" Snotlout wondered aloud and leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "I hope he comes back soon, I could _kill_ for a plate of his waffles."

Hiccup smirked. "He'd kiss you again if you told him that in person."

He knew his cousin would never admit it if he asked, but it _was_ quite obvious, even to Hiccup. Snotlout himself blushed, grumbling,

"It happened _once_ , okay? And it obviously didn't mean anything to him, since he never brought it up again. SO," he pushed himself back and reached for his water bottle, fiddling with the lid with some degree of suppressed fury. "I'm not going to either."

"Alright, sorry."

His cousin sighed, his mood lightening up again. "It's okay. Just don't … tell him."

"You have my word."

"Speaking of which, you finished up those reports from last night?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Yup. I'm back on track." His cousin smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Despite being 'busy'?"

"Shut up."

He laughed. "Come on, nobody ever tells me anything anymore."

"Good," Hiccup shot back indignantly but grinned. "I'm not really keen on all of Berk knowing about it."

"So what's 'it'?"

"Honestly? You think I'm that unattentive?"

"When you're drawing, yeah."

Something about the smirk that was plastered on his cousin's lips seemed fishy to Hiccup. He did not like this grin.

"Scott," he drawled. "What did you do?"

His cousin's grin widened. "Oh, _I_ did nothing. I just *sat* there. Listen, all I'm _sayin'_ is, that maybe you should pay more attention to who else is in the room in the evening."

Hiccup blushed immediately as he remembered being in the common room in the evening, reading until he had absentmindedly started sketching - a pair of eyes, grey on paper but blue in memory, lips, just slightly parted, outlines of a face - "Oh, God," he spluttered. "I - it wasn't - I mean."

Snotlout laughed and nudged his cousin's shoulder. "Hey, I'm not judging."

He offered Hiccup an amicable smile and grinned when his cousin slumped his shoulders and returned the smile.

Who'd have thought? Seven years ago he'd have never even dreamed of sharing the same job with Hiccup and spending most of their shifts together, let alone having normal, amiable conversations and sharing jokes.

Gobber's voice from outside interrupted the dark-haired man's thoughts.

"Come on, Hiccup, we're gonna be late!" Gobber suddenly shouted from the hall, making Snotlout laugh and offer Hiccup a fistbump.

"Alright, I'm coming, just - stay where you are!" Hiccup shouted back rolled his eyes at his cousin, who only grinned and shrugged.

* * *

"Alright, I think we're done here, everyone. Dismissed," Stoick Haddock concluded and closed his folder, nodding at the men seated around him.

Hiccup sighed inwardly. The monthly check-in was something that had to be done, he knew that, but these meetings could be both lengthy and boring.

He'd tried to excuse his attire and had only got a few amused looks and some raised eyebrows; 'Could've been worse,' Hiccup thought and got up. At the sight of his father gathering up his files he remembered his post-meeting-agenda and quickly tapped his father's shoulder, lowly asking, "Dad, can I … talk to you for a sec?"

"Of course," Stoick nodded at the other men and led his son off to the side. "Excuse us."

His eyes met Hiccup's expression. The young man leaned in and murmured, "Hey, Dad, listen, um. I need you to do me a favour, please."

His father raised his eyebrows but Hiccup didn't fail to notice the faint smile playing on his lips. He sighed and inhaled deeply, shortly raking a hand through his hair.

"Oh man, I can't believe I'm actually saying this - Dad, I need a shirt."

"You need a … a _what_?"

His father looked at him, speechless. Hiccup nodded sharply and elaborated, "Yes, a shirt. Any colour, I just need - listen, Dad, Astrid is coming over tomorrow and I've run out of shirts, and I can't just wear the same over and over again, so - please. I just need a shirt or two, button up or down, you decide, I'm desperate."

To his suprise and utter mortification, his father let out a whoop of laughter, starting him and the other men in the room.

"She's really got you bedazzled, aye, son?"

"I - what?"

"I thought I'd never see the day you'd ask _me_ to help you with your _shopping_!" his father bellowed, still laughing. "Oh, this is great, son, I've been waiting for this my whole life-"

"Dad, don't you think you're … overreacting, a bit-"

"-and I will not waste this opportunity. Consider your wardrobe situation saved."

With this he strode past him, muttering something about "my boy's finally getting his life together" and "wrapped around his finger, completely head over heels", leaving an abashed Hiccup and chuckling collegues behind.

"Well, you did it," Gobber laughed and patted his back, making Hiccup stumble forward involuntarily. "he will not rest until he's got you a month's worth of clothing."

Hiccup groaned. "What have I done, Gobber?"

"Made him the most excited I've seen him in years, you did," Gobber smiled, his expression gentle now. "Come on, let's get back to the department, lover-boy."

"Please don't call me that."

"Romeo?"

"Tragic death and stupid as fuck."

"That a yes?"

" _No_."

* * *

It hit Hiccup like a bolt of lightning. He'd forgotten to fill up Toothless' bowl when he'd left the house this afternoon.

" _Shit_. Shitshitshitshit," he spat through gritted teeth as he frantically searched for options. He couldn't leave the department now, he was the only one in.

Okay. What else? Call someone. It was at times like these Hiccup wished his entire support system wasn't built on people working in the administrative departments.

And Fishlegs was out of the city.

Then it dawned on him. The only person he could hope to be home.

His hands had already picked up his phone and clicked on the number.

"Hiccup?"

He exhaled. "Oh, thank God. Astrid, do you - do you have time? Are you at home?"

Her answer was hard to make out over the background-voices and music.

"I'm on my shift, why?"

His heart sunk.

"Okay, nevermind then-"

"Hiccup? Hello - hang on, I'll go outside, just give me one sec."

The noise faded.

Her voice got clearer as she grumbled, "You'd think people'd wait for a Friday 'til they hit the bar."

He chuckled. "I'd honestly love to be somewhere else right now, so I can't blame them."

Astrid snorted and finally there was nothing blocking out her voice anymore. "Trust me, you don't wanna be here. Anyways, what's up? Something wrong? You never call this late."

"Oh - yeah, I actually … Astrid, can you do me a favour?"

She didn't even hesitate and her answer let a wave of warmth and affection wash over him.

"What do you need and where should I be?"

"At my apartment. Or rather, first here and _then_ my apartment."

Astrid furrowed her brow, for a second asking herself if this was some kind of disguise for something else but quickly discarded that thought as Hiccup continued quickly, "I forgot to feed Toothless when I left today and I locked everything, so he can't go out to hunt. Could you pick up my keys and feed him, please?"

She hummed. "Yeah, of course."

Hiccup sighed and smiled. "Thanks, I really owe you one."

Astrid laughed breezily and was apparently making her way back inside. From what he could hear, Pink's 'Raise your glass' was playing and people were screaming.

"No problem," he heard her say over them. "I'll think of something."

He chuckled and leaned on his desk.

"You have until tomorrow."

"Oh, so now there's a deadline for _favours_?"

"Only for that one."

She laughed again. "Well, maybe it's a project that can't be done overnight."

"Am I still talking to Astrid or Ms Hofferson who just pulled the ultimate teacher-joke on me?"

"Both. Hang on a second."

The sound was muffled since she seemed to be pressing the microphone against herself to block out the sound, but he still heard her distinct voice shout, "Heath, can you tell Al I'm taking my break? Be back in 45."

Another voice answered, loud but friendly, "Sure, don't worry. Gotcha, Stellar!"

Stellar?

The sound was back in its full intensity and so was her voice.

"Alright, I'm heading out. Be there in ten."

"Okay. See you."

Astrid smiled up at the sky. "You know, this isn't even a favour I'm doing you. You're doing _me_ one."

* * *

Although she had called it multiple times, Astrid had never been _inside_ the fire department of Berk before.

It looked a bit intimidating in the dark, and she only saw one big window with lights on inside. She squinted her eyes up and into the darkness and registered movement.

A slim figure approached the window, waving at her, chasing a smile across her lips as she waved back. Hiccup's sillhouette disappeared.

Astrid herself made her way into the building and up the staircase to the second floor, where she was greeted by a dark hallway.

A door was pried open, a small ray of light emitting from the crack.

"Astrid?" His face was stuck out of the open door.

"Hiccup? Why's it so dark in here?"

"We're saving up energy."

He was leaning out of the door, supporting his weight by the frame.

Astrid smirked and came to a halt in front of him. He didn't move, just stayed with his eyes fixed on her.

The young woman felt a weird sensation rushing through her stomach as she remembered her dream from a couple of nights ago, which had started just like this, opening a door and -

"You wanna come in for a sec?" he asked and interrupted her thoughts.

Astrid nodded, smiling. "Let's make the workplace situation even."

He laughed and led her inside. The building itself wasn't that big, but the headquarters seemed pretty spacious. There were only three desks inside with multiple screens, and by the wall stood an unsafe-looking plank bed.

"Welcome to my job where we get Sicca Syndrome and a bad back trying to sleep on these," he joked and ran a hand through his hair.

Astrid sat down on the plank bed, wincing as it squeaked and bent violently, making him laugh as he sat down next to her.

Without giving herself much time to hesitate, Astrid leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do we have enough time for me to ask you what your day looks like?"

He chuckled and gently wrapped his arm around her, trying not to let on that he was shaking slightly, thankful she still had her eyes closed so she wasn't able to see his blush.

"Maybe. We _could_ save that conversation up for tomorrow, though."

She opened her eyes and moved to get up, but Hiccup tightened his grip around her shoulders and grinned lopsidedly.

"That wasn't me trying to tell you to immediately get up. It's …" he hesitated, his blush deepening. "It's, um, really nice sitting like this. With you."

Astrid chuckled lightly and leaned back into him, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.

"You're really trying to outdo yourself today, huh?"

Her voice was muffled against his skin, her breath sending sparks down it.

"Is it working?"

Astrid grinned against him. "Yeah."

The young man laughed and tried to calm his heart yet again. To think that only sitting with her head on his shoulder, her lips making direct contact with his skin when she spoke was enough to turn him into a flustered mess. And they hadn't even KISSED yet.

"I'm beginning to regret this."

He froze, his heart dropping immediately. Regret what? This? Her decision from earlier? Being _alone with him?_ Out of a sudden? Somehow?

Of course, his logical side knew better than that and patiently waited for Astrid to continue - his worry got the better of him.

"Why?"

"Because now going back to my shift is going to be really fucking hard."

 _'Oh. Oh, thank God.'_ He exhaled and relaxed again.

"Why?" he repeated, feeling stupid.

Astrid closed her eyes again. "Because I'd much rather be here and spend the night with you than going back."

Aaaand there it was. His pulse was sky-rocketing. And she was so close she might actually hear. His blush had deepened even more.

Astrid continued after a pause, "Or you know, I could just crash at your apartment and cuddle with Toothless."

He rasped out a laugh. "If you let me in tomorrow."

Astrid opened her eyes and pursed her lips to hide her smile.

"We'll see."

Hiccup _really_ wanted to kiss her. He wanted to so bad it almost hurt.

Yet, there was something holding him back - the question from earlier. But he didn't want to bring this up now. Especially not since-

"Speaking of Toothless, I should probably get going now."

"Oh, y-yeah! Uh," he uncurled his arm from around her and jumped up, stumbling towards his desk. "Let me just … find the key … uh. Should've probably done that earlier."

"Let me help. I've got a knack for finding things."

She joined him at the desk and grinned when he shot her a short, amused glance.

"You do?"

"Oh, yeah. I found you, so that's one."

Hiccup chuckled and watched her pull out his keys from underneath the printed draft of the day's report and hold it up in front of him, grinning smugly.

"And you say _I'm_ trying to outdo myself?" he muttered, making her laugh.

"Well, now we're even."

He shrugged and grinned. "True. You remember the direction?"

Astrid nodded, leaning against the desk.

"Good. Ah, and uh, mind the door, it always gets stuck, so it's a bit hard to open. Just, uh, throw your entire body weight againt it. At least that's what I do."

She nodded again and smiled up at him. "Jot that down. Anything else? Where's the food?"

"Second left cupboard by the window on the floor. You know, the one with the scratches?"

She snorted as she remembered which one Hiccup was talking about - and it seemed like he was either very forgetful or had a cat that loved to eat.

"Alright, got it."

"Thanks again, Astrid."

Somehow they had ended up facing each other, his hands on her arms.

Hiccup's gaze fell down on his hands and his first instinct was to let go, but Astrid smiled and put her own hands on his arms, squeezing lightly.

"You're welcome. But - by the way, where's everyone else?"

"Oh, Gobber's already home and Scott went for a quick nap down in the living area. He complained that my typing was too loud for him to sleep."

She snorted. "Well, at least you've got the place to yourself, right?"

His hands subconscuiously had wandered to her waist.

"I'd rather not. But I'm a bit picky about the company."

"That so?"

He hummed, his eyes dropping to her lips ever so shortly. He looked like he was almost going to lean down and kiss her - but there was something in his eyes Astrid knew well by now.

Hesitation. Something was holding him back.

Astrid smiled and pulled back slightly.

She'd give him time.

Until then … she stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

"I'm gonna get going now. Don't wanna keep Toothless waiting."

She grinned up at him and was relieved when he returned it.

"Yeah."

She turned to leave but was held back by his voice softly calling out her name.

"Oh, and … Astrid?"

She hummed, turning around, already halways out the door.

With a few steps he had closed the distance between them. His eyes were warm as he gently wrapped his fingers around her left wrist, tugged her closer and pressed a lingering kiss on her forehead.

Astrid's eyes fluttered closed at the contact.

"Stay safe tonight," he whispered, his lips barely grazing her skin before he pulled back.

Astrid opened her eyes again and was met with his open expression and small smile.

She returned it tenfolds and whispered back, "You too."

Then she turned around and took the stairs downstairs.

Fires and people had a lot in common, but most people could be either reasoned with or at least punched (which was her own interpretation). Then again, her boyfriend was not the type to underestimate a thing like a fire.

Astrid stopped, her hand on the doorhandle. Boyfriend. She'd thought ' _boyfriend_ '.

The air was a tinge colder when she stepped outside, but still had the distinct warmth of a summer night.

Well, he was, wasn't he? It was what he'd asked her this morning, wasn't it?

Astrid smiled to herself and maybe the sky, Hiccup's keys clinking in her pocket.

This was a very girlfriend-thing to do, after all.

* * *

 _Let me tell you, I am already on the next chapter and I can't wait until you guys read it! I have two words for you: GOOD TROPES. (And fish. But that's four words.)_


	10. In The Eye Of The Storm

_Oookay, so this did NOT turn out as expected, and by 'as expected' I mean, I thought this whole thing was gonna be a lot shorter. But apparently I can't DO short with Hiccstrid, so here we are, chapter 10 part ONE of two (or three? Three at most)! In this chapter we have like 1/3 hella good tropes and also some fish?  
_

 _Here are some replies to my Groovy Guests!_

 _25/01: Haha, I'm afraid there are multiple more of these in this one, sorry! ;^)_

 _ToothlessisiMine: Oh my god. I am SCREAMING at your review, I'm so happy you like it! And as someone who ALSO doesn't read a lot of unfished stories, this means even more to me, so thank you. And YES my friend, you did interpret it correctly ;^) Also, I'm really glad you enjoy the characters, I will DEFINITELY continue this, I'm too hooked on this, haha._

 _26/01: Hah, well, it's like ... slow burn as heck but I also kinda don't want it to be but now I got myself into this mess, so now I'm gonna do this RIGHT! :^)_

 _The hug-guest, 26/01: Honestly, that's a legit feeling I always wanted to go for sooo heck yes! *hugs!*_

 _The crying-guest 26/01: Aaah no I'M crying at your kind words! Glad you like it!_

 _03/02: Aaw, thank you so much! Happy you're enjoying this :D_

 _Now, onto the chapter!_

* * *

 _Chapter 10, Part 1 - In The Eye Of The Storm_

* * *

Toothless could not understand. There were, of course, a couple of things he was not able to grasp - advanced mathematics, for example, or why all-you-can-eat feeding stations were not an established thing yet.

Right now, however, it was beyond him how his nervous, asthmatic fire-battling human could be _this_ daft. He was currently pacing around the flat, his clicks and thumps disturbing Toothless' peaceful slumber. That is, it had been peaceful since about twenty minutes ago.

Apparently Hiccup had thought it was a good idea to get up at nine a.m. after a night shift to rattle around and start cleaning the flat.

"Toothless! C'mon, bud, I have breakfast ready!"

Toothless yawned and stretched, getting up from his nook on the bed and trotted into the kitchen where his human was waiting for him, a big grin on his face as he crouched down to scratch his ears.

"Hey, bud. You slept well?"

 _I did until you woke me up._

"Sorry I forgot yesterday night, I really am. Lucky us Astrid came to the rescue, huh?"

 _I could have **starved** if it hadn't been for her_, Toothless meowed indignantly and flicked his tail.

Still, he had been happy to see Astrid. He liked her. She was gentle and had given him an extra snack and cuddled him and smelled nice. And she made Hiccup happy.

So why, Toothless wondered, didn't she stay here all the time so she could feed and pet him and make his human grin like an idiot at any given moment?

Why all the constant travelling between their respective homes?

Maybe they weren't sure they really wanted to spend so much time together? After all, it had been only him and Hiccup for quite some time now, since they had move out of his father's house. Toothless yawned again and settled on Hiccup's lap, curling into the warmth of the human's body, deciding the two humans should come to a better solution today.

* * *

"Good morning."

The woman looked up from her computer screen and smiled at the familiar auburn-haired man in front of her.

"Henry, what brings you here?"

Hiccup smiled at her. "I just wanted to stop by to ask my father something. Is he in?"

"Yes," she replied, frowning. "Henry, I … don't suppose _you_ know what this fuss about all these cloth cases he brought in yesterday was all about?"

Hiccup bit back a groan, mumbling, "Oh, bother" under his breath before flashing her a quick smile and hurrying towards his father's office.

"Uh, I'll check that out. Thanks, Bertha."

He knocked twice, thrice. His father's cheerful voice answered.

"Come in!"

"Dad, I heard-"

Hiccup fell silent at the sight of him. Bertha had not prepared him for what he wouldactually see.

There sat his father, in-between at least three clothing bags and a small cardboard container, grinning at him.

"Ah, son, there you are!"

"Dad, what …"

"I solved your clothing problem!"

The young man threw his hands up, widldly gesticulating at the bags.

"For the next five _years_?"

Stoick Haddock hummed and leaned back in his chair, watching his son intently as he chuckled, "Well, I was hoping she sticks around longer than that, but, essentially, yes."

Hiccup stepped closer, his hands flying up to his hair.

"Are those … are those _ties_?"

"Yes, you might never know. I have prepared multiple options and combinations for you. And they do, you know," he chuckled. " _tie_ the whole look together."

"I see," Hiccup deadpanned, his expression so helpless Stoick barked out a laugh and got up to give his son a well-meaning pat on the back.

"Come on, boy, lighten up a little! After all, you might never know," his voice dropped to a conspirational tone. "maybe she justso happens to know how to tie them and will help you."

"Wasn't that actually _your_ job to teach me?"

His red ears gave him away, making Stoick laugh again.

"If you want, just take the shirts for now. I got you both button ups and downs, since I thought you didn't care. And I couldn't choose. Plus, Gobber wasn't really helping over the phone, he just kept telling me to leave the shop. He _does_ seem to be about sixty percent of my self-control these days. Oh well."

"I - I'm not even sure how to respond to that, if I'm being honest here, Dad."

"Just take them?"

His son sighed but smiled at his father. "Thanks. You really saved me."

After a short pause, he added, "I'll ... choose carefully."

Stoick grinned. "That's what I wanted to hear. Now, off you go, and have fun today! By the way, talk to Gobber about your overtime."

Hiccup's voice was muffled against all the clothing and plastic in his arms.

"Thanks, Dad, I will. I'll, uh - I'll call you."

He was already out the door when he heard his father shout after him, "Remember our talk about intentions!"

Hiccup's ears were burning. From the direction of the desk in front of the office he just heard a dry, "Oh, so it _was_ about you."

* * *

It was noon by the time Astrid had dragged herself out of her bed and into the shower. A sigh escaped her lips as the hot water drummed down on her, easing some of the tension in her neck and shoulders.

As she lathered up her hair she idly thought back to last night. The job had been the usual, sure - but everything had seemed a bit less awful after her visit at the fire department and Hiccup's flat.

The young woman smiled up at the ceiling, screwing her eyes shut. Spending time with Hiccup and Toothless for a bit had recharged her batteries for the rest of the shift. And, well, she had also felt a bit flattered that Hiccup had trusted her with his. It had been a bit weird, being in his apartment without him, but she now knew that he was a naturally tidy person - at least at home, away from his desk at the department.

For a moment she wondered what it would be like to come home to that - to him. She imagined herself turn a copy of his keys in the lock of the apartment and enter as silently as possible, placing her shoes beside his and groping her way through the darkness to their bedroom, careful not to wake him as she'd quickly strip and crawl under the covers next to him. Maybe he'd shift in his sleep and curl himself into her.

She exhaled and scrubbed her hands over her burning face as she realised how much she actually wanted this. And yet, it didn't scare her anymore. The idea of being this intimate with him suddenly did not seem that scary to her at all.

 _'God, I want this.'_

Astrid wasn't sure wether she only felt like this simply because it was _Hiccup_ and she just couldn't help it, or if something inside her had shifted.

She thought back to the moment he had sat down next to her on that plank bed - they'd sat way too close, and at the same time not close enough, but her breath had hitched in her throat as he'd wrapped his arm around her, timidly, and had found herself wishing he'd hold her.

Funny, almost, how this would be enough for her if he'd ask. She knew that if Hiccup would ask her, she would be satisfied with the hugs and hand-holding and kisses on the cheek. If he said this was as far as they would ever go, she'd accept.

Then again, she'd seen the way he'd look at her sometimes when he thought she wasn't paying attention. She couldn't quite describe it other than intense. She only knew that this expression was very farfrom innocent. The memory of it sent shivers down her spine despite the hot water and steam around her.

Yet, he had always held back. In the end it came down to execution. But he was so adorably shy about it all. Of course, Astrid knew that by no means she was any more experienced in these matters than he was - heck, she'd regretted every person she'd ever kissed so far. A distinct feeling told her she couldn't (and wouldn't) regret him.

She, too, had never gone as far as she wished they would go together. Which made this all the more new and confusing to find herself drawn and attracted to him in way she had never experienced before.

He was new. And confusing. And challenging. And pretty much irresistable.

* * *

She could see him grin at her even from the distance they were still at. He waved at her, his smile broadening the closer they got. Involuntarily she picked up a faster place, soon almost running, and it was stupid and silly, but she just couldn't bring herself to care, laughter spilling over her lips as he caught her by the waist as she crashed into him, using the momentum to spin her around.

"Hey there," he mumbled into her hair, grinning. "Miss me already?"

She snorted, her hands fisting themselves into the fabic of his shirt. "You're the one to talk."

Hiccup chuckled. "I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed when I found my keys in my mailbox this morning."

Astrid grinned, linking her arms behind his back, burying her smile in his chest.

"Sorry, I couldn't risk you waking the cat."

He pulled back, raising an eyebrow at her smug face for a split second before breaking out into a toothy, dopey grin, his arms still locked around her.

"You ready to go?" he asked her then, stepping out of their embrace, reminding her of their inital plan. Astrid nodded, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers.

"Yeah, let's go."

It was a quiet walk, their joined hands swinging between them, shoulders sometimes bumping. The air felt heavy in contrast to their light conversation. Hiccup was pretty sure that spending his day off with Astrid was pretty high in his top ten. Scratch that, top 3. Top anything, ever.

The market was, to neither of them a surprise, buzzing with people.

He absentmindedly told her about how the biggest part of Berk's income was through export, mostly fish and seafood, but also some vegetables that were lucky enough to survive the winter. She laughed at that.

"I didn't think it was that bad."

"Oh, you just haven't experienced the real thing yet, trust me. Last winter was LIGHT. That was NOTHING. Just you wait, you're in for a real surprise."

"Is it really a surprise if you're telling me about it?"

"Not really, I just don't want you caught off guard, can't have you stuck in your arpartment without any food and water," he retorted, shooting her a small grin. Behind his teasing was a slight hint of concern and Astrid felt her smile widen, heart fluttering as she thought of deep, snowed-in winter, burying herself in blankets and maybe his arms.

"You fany salmon or tuna?" she heard him ask and piped up. They'd came to a halt in front of a STAND. Hiccup grinned at the two men behind the counter.

"Hey Mulch, Bucket. Long time no see, how've you been?"

"Oh, haven't you heard, Hiccup?" the dark-haired man of the two asked, lowering his voice conspirationally. Hiccup stopped, a frown on his face as he leaned in to hear the other man.

"No, what happened?"

"Bucket's been having his headaches again."

Astrid paused, confused at the way Mulch told Hiccup this as if delivering bad news.

"Oh, well-"

"I give it twenty more minutes," Bucket moaned from behind, cradling his head as he sat down on a stool behind the counter. "And it's gonna be a big one. You kids better hurry back inside."

"Okay then, we'll just, uh … take some salmon and tuna. Thanks."

Mulch handed him the fish and exchange, then nodded solemnly. "Always trust the bucket, Hiccup."

"I don't - neverm - okay, thanks. I'll see you guys around."

Astrid started slightly when she felt his hand rest on the small of her bag and lightly pushed her forward; they started moving again.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled. "Bucket swears his headaches can predict the weather. According to him there's a storm headed to us."

"And you don't believe that?"

He shrugged. "Not really. He always used to tell us that, sort of like a children's tale. You know, growing up."

Astrid nodded but before she could respond, she felt a raindrop hit her forehead.

Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks, squinting up at the sky and then narrowing his eyes at her when she tried to keep herself from laughing. "Alright, so there's a _bit_ of rain …"

The rain got worse with every step they took away from the market and soon, they were running, again joining their hands as they stumbled through the streets, laughter spilling over their lips.

"You were saying?" she spluttered as they came to a stumbling halt at his apartment.

"Okay, so there's a _lot_ of rain," Hiccup replied, turning around to her. Astrid snorted at that, grinning up to him, making him hesitate shortly as he caught her gaze.

They were absolutely _soaked_. Astrid's fringes hung into her eyes, but somehow he looked at her like she was a revelation of sorts; slowly he reached out and gently brushed the hair out of her eyes, his fingers tingling as they came in contact with her cold skin. Astrid smiled up at him and she was _blinding_.

He blinked. She'd said his name.

"Yes?"

"Could you unlock the door?"

"Oh - yeah, of course, sorry," he spluttered, digging for his keys.

They stepped inside, shivering at the sudden change of temperature. Outside it was properly pouring now; in the distance, thunder was rolling over howling wind. Hiccup huffed. Great. Bucket had been right.

* * *

He'd given her one of his jumpers and a pair of sweatpants. Now, sitting in his kitchen, dry and warm, a purring Toothless on her lap, Astrid watched Hiccup fiddle with the regulators on his old radio, muttering to himself. At the sight of him, his hair freshly towelled try, brows furrowed in concentration, the young woman felt a wave of affection wash over her.

His face lit up when he finally found the frequence and threw her a short glance, lips twitching upwards. The voice of the radio commentator filled the room.

"… will hit Berk in its full velocity at approximately 17:00. It is not yet certain when the storm will subside. But until then, we advise all our listeners to stay inside their homes for safety."

She watched his chest deflate as he let out a light sigh and straightened his back.

"Well, looks like we're stuck here for a while."

He sat down in front of her, leaning on the table, eyes apologetic. Astrid hummed, a small smile playing on her lips as she leaned forward.

"Could be worse. At least we're stuck together."

 _Together_. He smiled and looked down to his hands, clasped together on the table. Without thinking, he reached out and took one of her hands, making her uncross her arms on the table, his thumb drawing gentle circles on the back of her hand.

His voice was low when he finally spoke.

"Astrid, are we …" his eyes flitted up to hers for a moment as he inhaled. "Are we a couple?"

She hummed again, cocking her head to the side.

"Isn't that what you asked me yesterday? To be your girlfriend?"

He shrugged. "I did, I just, uh, didn't do it properly. Left some room to interpretation, huh?"

He let out a nervous chuckle. Astrid squeezed his hand, somehow anchoring him. Suddenly the words tumbled over his lips, almost easily, as if they had been waiting to be spoken.

"Astrid Hofferson, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

A wide smile blossomed on her lips as her other hand found his across the table.

"Hiccup Haddock, I can't even begin to tell you how _much_ I would like that."

Hiccup looked at her with a wondrous expression, as if he couldn't quite believe she was real, and she would have just kissed him, her resolution to wait out the window, had he not stood up and pulled her against his chest.

"Thank you," he mumbled into her hair. Astrid smiled and wrapped her arms around his middle. "What for?"

He shrugged against her frame. "For just … I don't know. You. Call me cheesy, but I'm just really glad we met."

Astrid hugged him tighter and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, breathing in a warm, comforting soapy scent. Her answer was muffled against his chest.

They stayed like this for a little while, until Hiccup piped up, loosening his grip around her.

"You wanna get started on the food?"

Her stomach growled loudly, making him laugh.

"Guess that's a yes."

* * *

Astrid had learned that making sushi took longer than she had initially expected. She _also_ learned that Hiccup was a very patient teacher. Her first roll had fallen apart three times to the point of her frustration; he had given her gentle instructions and suggestions each time, until she had finally managed one that didn't look half bad. Part of her couldn't really understand how he could be so calm while cooking, when for her it usually involed lots of rushing and still accidentally burning things.

"By the way, how's your job situation looking?" he asked while cutting up the last roll. When he laid down the knife and raised his head to look at her, he found her grin at him.

"I started writing my application. I can quit the _Smith's_ in two weeks."

She almost squealed as he suddenly leapt up, pulled her out of her chair and spun her around before pulling her into an embrace.

"That's … Astrid, that's _amazing_!"

She chuckled at his excitement but tightened her grip around him. "It feels a bit weird," she admitted then, her voice muffled by the material of his thick jumper.

Hiccup hummed, one hand coming up to her shoulder as he drew imaginary maps on her skin through the wool.

"No more night shifts, huh?"

"Actually, yeah. I kind of … got used to it. Is that weird? Working a job I hate and getting used to it?"

She pulled back, eyes quizzically searching his and Hiccup could have sworn he had never felt anything more real than the weight of her hands on his chest. He hummed again, hands resting on her waist as he held her gaze and replied softly, "I think it's human, to get used to things. You kind of _had_ to, to get through it, don't you think?"

Astrid nodded, her eyes dropping to her hands shortly, before a slow smile blossomed on her lips.

"You know,we gotta hand it to the night shifts, though. They're sort of the reason we met. If I hadn't taken that job and tried to cook at unholy hours, I'd ... well."

"Not be grateful for the night shifts?" He suggested, grinning lopsidedly. Astrid scrunched her nose at him.

" _And_ not know you. Which would make my life a whole lot bleaker, to be honest."

His eyes softened.

"True," he admitted and resisted the urge to just kiss her right then and there, all else be damned, because some things needed to be said rather than done. "Same goes for me. At this point, I couldn't even imagine not knowing you, or at least I don't really want to. And I, uh, like life better with you."

Astrid smiled up at him and for a moment, he thought _she_ was going to kiss _him_ right then and there, all else be damned, but she only leaned back into him, arms sneaking around his middle again.

He exhaled slowly and buried his face in her neck, closing his eyes. A sense of peacefulness overcame him.

Outside the storm was raging on.

* * *

 _This fic is a slow burn but like, on a constant 3 at all times_


	11. Stormy Seas

_So far they have been on 4 dates, are currently on their fifth one, have fantasized about each other, held hands (4 times), kissed on the cheek (5 times), on the forehead once, mutually agreed on being a couple and have had 5 near-kiss experiences. On today's episode: how much more can I get in before I lose my mind?_

* * *

 _Chapter 10, Part 2: Stormy Seas  
_

* * *

"Hiccup, maybe - maybe we should postpone this."

Astrid's voice was muffled against his chest, and contrary to her words, she only clung tighter to him when he tried to pull back, confused.

"What do you mean?"

She exhaled, her breath hot in the wool.

"I've been thinking, and it's … wrong holding you back, if it's such a big storm. I just think that maybe you should be at the department," this wasn't at all what she wanted, why did she tell him to? "in case something happens and they need you."

Hiccup froze at her words, coldly remembering that yes, he had a job and YES, she was right, he _should_ be doing it.

' _Shit_.'

Yet, they were still holding each other and Hiccup couldn't help but think that maybe he could be selfish for once.

 _'I don't feel like being responsible right now_ ,' he thought and sighed.

"I'll call Gobber," he said reluctantly instead, nuzzling her neck.

She pulled back and smiled at him, almost apologetically.

"Sorry."

"No, you're right. I should be on alert - that's my job after all."

Reluctantly, he unwrapped his arms around her and pulled his phone out of his pocket, Gobber's work number on speed-dial. While it was ringing, he started aimlessly wandering around in a feeble attempt to calm his furious heart.

His collegue's voice was oddly cheery when he picked up.

"We were just placing bets on when you'd call - I win by the way, Snot, hand me my 5 quid."

Hiccup stopped in his tracks through the door of the living room, confused.

"Why - why would you bet 5 quid on a phone call? And wh-"

"We're working in a network here, sonny, so you better get back to what you were doing before you remembered you have job."

"Gobber-"

"We _know_ you have a date, Hiccup, and this storm is your chance to get a move on!" Snotlout shouted in the background, who apparently was having the time of his life.

By now, Hiccup's face was burning. He also knew now just _why_ Gobber's voice had sounded so goddamn _sprightly_.

"Gobber," he repeated, pinching the bridge of his nose, well aware Astrid had followed him into the living room, watching him intently from her seat on the sofa next to Toothless. "Do you need me at work or not?"

The older man chuckled shortly, but sombered again. "No," he replied. "We've got it covered, boy, don't worry. Berk's seen many storms like this and the banks we set up will hold up fine."

He threw Astrid a quick glance, not to let on how relieved he actually was by Gobber's words.

"Okay, good," he paused for a second. "By the way, was Dad the one who …"

"Yes, he did. Which reminds me, actually - tomorrow's your day off."

"What day off?"

"Well," Gobber grinned audibly. "You have enough overtime for a whole day, so there you go. Consider it a late birthday present. Or just a really early one, depending from which perspective you view this."

Hiccup closed his eyes, wondering if he could become any redder. He wished Astrid would look somewhere else than his direction.

"This is probably illegal," he wheezed, flitting his eyes over to her. "But thanks."

She was gnawing at her lip, obviously trying to hold back her laughter.

"Then … I'll, uh, see you on Sunday."

He hung up, not before hearing Snotlout's whooping laughter in the background.

"So, I, uh," he started, broke off and cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze.

"I don't have to report back at work. And apparently I just got tomorrow off."

To his surprise, she didn't laugh. Instead, she furrowed her brow and asked, "Is he allowed to do that?"

He paused and plopped down on the sofa next to her. "Technically yes, but also, no. I do have some overtime, but it's _definitely_ not enough for a whole _day_ off."

Astrid dropped against him, her fringes tickling his neck. Almost by default, his arm went around her.

Her voice was muffled when she spoke, hiding her wide grin in his shoulder.

"That's some grade A wingman you got there."

Hiccup snorted, momentarily distracted by her arms around him and her face pressing into his side.

"Well … is it working?"

His voice was soft and light when he spoke, which made her lift her head to look at him again. She was met with a small, questioning smile and his warm, honest eyes.

"Maybe," she murmured back, a smile already blossiming on her lips. He grinned back, and

it was only then she became fully aware of the position they'd brought themselves in so casually, halfly holding each other on the sofa.

"It's getting dark already," she heard herself whisper then and felt him shift slightly underneath her.

"I didn't notice," he husked back, his eyes focused entirely on her.

There it was again, this look. Astrid felt her heart flutter at the intensity of it.

He was leaning down, just a bit.

She inhaled his warm, soapy scent and leaned further against him.

It was inch by inch, or maybe it happened in the blink of an eye, but suddenly there was barely any space left between their faces and-

A piercing, sharp sound tore through the raging sky, making them jump apart, away from each other, as if embarassed at being caught by the weather.

For a moment, they looked at each other in silence, their legs still touching, her hand clutching the material of his jumper. Laughter bubbled up between them, until they inched closer again.

From his spot near the window, Toothless was watching the humans clumsily return to their previous position, their faces turned away from each other again. He jumped down from the window sill to assume his new favourite spot on the sofa.

So he settled on Astrid's lap, closed his eyes and let her gently comb her fingers through his fur.

"Chin-scratch," Hiccup commented lowly at her minitrastrions. "He loves that one."

They sat in comfortable silence, his arm around her again, her legs curled up, head against his shoulder, Toothless on her lap.

"I must say, I'm impressed," he murmured after a while. "You already got him to purr."

She smiled and closed her eyes. "Maybe I'm just a natural. But it's sort of my job."

Hiccup chuckled lowly. "What, to make my cat happy?"

"Maybe. Maybe I should quit the shop too in two weeks and you just hire me as your cat-sitter."

"Being my girlfriend doesn't include that?"

Astrid grinned, her heart singing at his words, shooting him a quick, coy smile.

"No, that's extra."

"Shame," he commented, mockingly serious, his other arm coming around her to fully hold her, his head dropping on her shoulder. "Here I was, thinking it was an all-inclusive deal."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Eh, I'll get over it," he teased back, his grip around her tightening in contrast to his words. He was feeling light, if not a bit dizzy, her scent surrounding him, and he knew every bit of reason he had had left about half an hour ago.

They fell into comfortable silence until he piped up, "Yesterday when I called you, you were talking to a collegue in the bar and, uh … Stellar?"

Astrid laughed brightly. "You heard that, huh? That was Heather, she's been in for a couple months. Basically what happened was was her saying she can't call me Ass-strid at work, so she tried Asteroid, didn't like that either and went with Stellar to keep the space-theme."

She laughed again and Hiccup felt warmth spread all over his body at that sound, revelling in it.

"She makes work suck a bit less, you know," she added, smiling lightly. Astrid sat up and leaned back into the sofa, resting her head on her bent arm, watching him intently.

He felt heat rush into his cheeks at her concentrated gaze on him. They were still sitting way too close and at the same time not close enough. Astrid found herself contemplating to lean back into him, just for the sake of proximity.

When she spoke again, her voice was soft.

"You've been doing night shifts ever since we met."

Hiccup thought back to how he'd always been flustered when talking to other people. Distracted, like he was searching for something else.

With Astrid, his attention was entirely focused on her.

"I focus better at night," he started, without really knowing where they were coming from. "When I'm working, at least."

 _'Right now, I'm paying more attention to your eyes than to my words.'_

"That's why I'm always writing my reports at night and take so many night shifts. Technically we're limited to three per week, but, uh. Well. We can alternate between shifts, which … do you remember the day I brought you the lasagna?"

Astrid nodded, smiling slightly at the memory.

"I was on maintenance duty that morning, so I had time to drop by because I wasn't scheduled for calls. A usual shift's 9-12 hours, except for Gobber, who's our senior and Company Officer," he grinned. "But don't think that's stopping him. Sometimes he'll be in longer than me. He loves this job."

Astrid was smiling and tilted her head slightly. "Tell me about him?"

Hiccup let out a small chuckle. "I've known him since I could think. Grew up with him. He's my Dad's best friend, my godfather … co-parent after we lost Mum. He's also the, uh, Sometimes Drunk Uncle …"

Astrid laughed at that, making his heart speed up and his skin tingle.

"Whenever I'd have a fight with Dad, I'd just … pack a couple things and crash on Gobber's couch for a few days. After I moved out, Gobber moved in, all while training me. I started pretty early, I think … three years ago? Four? More or less."

He let out a small chuckle and watched her curl her legs under her so they rested against him, shifting closer. Her eyes were sparkling in the low light of the living room.

"I can't believe I never asked you about this," she blurted. This was such a big part of him and who he was, she felt herself being completely captivated by it. He laughed, running a hand through his hair, his hand brushing her thighs as it came down. After a short moment of hesitation, he rested it on her thigh, his gaze searching hers as if silently asking for permission. He smile widened and she nodded ever so slightly.

"It's okay," he mumbled. "Just a job, right?"

"You love it, though," she retorted, grinning teasingly.

He hummed, eyes back on her now. "You're right, maybe I do," he murmured and Astrid couldn't help but think he meant something else entirely.

* * *

Doing the dishes proved to be way more fun with another person around, Astrid found. She was leaning against the counter, back in the kitchen, drying piece after piece of cutlery and dish Hiccup handed her.

He was talking, voice low and soft, and in the dim light of his warm kitchen, it was all the easier wishing this could be a daily occurence.

"I think it's quite therapeutic," he murmured, turning the glass he was washing in his hands. "It's a mindless activity. Helps you keep both feet on the ground. You can sort out your thoughts."

She hummed. He paused, shooting her a quick smile.

"You don't think so?"

Astrid shrugged hesitantly. "Maybe I'm biased. Back at Puffin Point, I was the one to take care of everything, so everything involving the house became less of a chore, more of a burden. So I never really liked it that much," she confessed, feeling a bit silly telling him this while drying his dishes.

She paused for a second, her eyes on the plate she was holding, then she softly added, "But I guess I could get used to this."

He cracked a lopsided grin at that and leant against the sink.

"Well," he uttered, eyes fixed on her with an enigmatic expression. "I for one wouldn't want anyone else's dirty dishes in my sink."

* * *

The storm was getting even worse towards the evening. Toothless had retreated into Astrid's lap, his nervous energy wearing off after a few minutes of her combing her gentle fingers through his fur and murmuring softly, incoherent to Hiccup's ears.

He didn't mind at all. In fact, he could watch this all night. Leaning on the other end of the sofa, his prosthetic leg between her and the edge of the sofa, he was watching her comforting Toothless as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Despite the storm raging outside, the wind howling and rattling at the blinds, he was feeling the warmest and safest he had been in a while.

He could feel himself dozing off shortly and jolting awake, only to be lulled back to sleep again, Astrid's calm and quiet voice and Toothless' purrs surrounding him like a lullaby.

At some point, he awoke with a blanket around his shoulders. Confused, he raised his head and looked around.

Astrid was gone.

Toothless was sleeping in her spot, curled up next to him.

Hiccup sat up, suddenly wide awake. Had she left? She wouldn't have tried to go outside with a storm like that, would she?

' _Of course not, she's smarter than that,_ ' a part of him argued.

"Oh, did I wake you?"

He jumped, immediately shaken out of his stupor.

There she was, standing in the doorway of the living room, a steaming mug in her hand, an apologetic smile on her face as she stepped closer and set the mug down on the coffee table.

He just just couldn't _help_ but get up and take her into his arms, maybe a bit tighter than would have been necessary.

Astrid chuckled into his shoulder, her breath hot in the wool.

"Did I miss something while I was in the kitchen?"

Hiccup breathed out a chuckle and shook his head. "No, don't worry. I just woke up and thought you left."

She pulled back to look at him, her bright eyes dancing over his face, looking genuinely baffled.

"Do you think I'm _insane_?"

He laughed, shaking his head and pulled her back against him.

"Sorry. I just imagined you were bored to death, said a big 'fuck you' to the storm and-"

He trailed off at the sound of her laugh. She was hiding her smile in his chest, her hands clinging to the material of his jumper.

By the time she pulled back again and looked at him, he had already forgotten about his prior worry.

Toothless had been watching the entire scene from his spot on the sofa since Hiccup's sudden jolt had woken him up yet again.

His green eyes flitted between the two humans.

Hiccup was still holding her, his hands now at her waist, grinning lopsidedly.

"So, would you," he said, hesitating for a second. "Would you like to stay the night?"

Toothless tapped closer. Yet again, he was at the end of his wits at his clumsy human. _Fool_ , he meowed _Only a night?_

He meowed again and prowled around Astrid's legs in an attempt to catch her attention.

 _Would you like to stay forever?_

Astrid laughed brightly and wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Thought you'd never ask."

Hiccup looked at her and for the first time in his life, he was glad Bucket's prediction had been right.

* * *

 _That feeling when your superior collegue is involved in a heavy network of gossip and will do anything for u to spend time with the woman of your dreams_


	12. Thinking

_(Did I listen to Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Lould while writing this chapter? Maybe ;^)_

 _Here we are, t_ _he final part of the storm arch and let me tell you: this took longer than I expected, but it was worth it! So, now on to chapter 12, in which there is more rain and a Good Trope ™!_

* * *

 _Chapter 12 - Thinking (Out Loud)  
_

* * *

"Thought you'd never ask."

Hiccup looked at her and for the first time in his life, he was glad Bucket's prediction had been right.

Astrid's light smile was covering for her nervously palpatating heart when she felt his gaze practically burn on her skin and wished it was his mouth. He shifted slightly, his eyes losing focus and suddenly his name was spilling over her lips, easily rolling off her tongue.

He hummed, his fingers curling into the burly jumper she was wearing.

Her eyes were sparkling, and there was a small smile playing on her lips as she whispered into the space between them, "It's pretty late. We should probably go to bed."

"Yeah, we should," he echoed weakly, but didn't make any move.

"Your eyes keep falling shut," she whispered, a hand coming up to cup his face. The smile on her face widened when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, mumbling, "It's called extensive blinking."

"Sure." she chuckled and patted his cheek, making him open his eyes again and moved out of his embrace to gently push him towards the stair case leading up to the other rooms. Hiccup reluctantly complied and shuffled upstairs, but quickly perked up again and reached behind him, shooting her an easy grin as he intertwined their fingers, making her heart sing.

"Well, here we are," he said just as they had come to a halt in a dark hallway. "The first floor's just as boring as the ground floor, but what can you do."

Astrid chuckled and waited for him to grope his way through the darkness and turn on the lights.

"Well, you could decorate, but that's just a suggestion."

He scrunched his nose at her, making her laugh and grabbed her hand again to pull her into the dim-lit room.

"Another fun fact," he mumbled. "My light is at least five years old and has maybe 20 Watt."

"Probably the cosiest thing you own," she shot back, her smile the brightest thing to him in this room. He stopped for a second to take her in and get his head around the fact that Astrid Hofferson was standing in the middle of his bedroom on the old rug his father had forced him to take with him when he'd moved out.

Looking at her now, he was slowly beginning to realise he hadn't thought this far when he had asked her to stay the night.

It didn't feel _strange_ per se, just a bit _improbable_ still.

And yet, here they were, standing way too close together and his skin was tingling.

Quickly, to push that feeling down, he crossed the room and opened his wardrobe in search for something for Astrid to sleep in.

"Is a t-shirt alright with you?" he asked, his heart skipping a beat when she stepped next to him, humming lightly.

Their bodies were almost touching, the sparks between them dancing in the warm light of the room.

Hiccup shot her a quick grin, but quickly returned his attention back to his wardrobe. He found a freshly washed t-shirt and held it up, silently asking for her approval.

Astrid nodded quickly and it was only when he handed it to her, she noticed the slightly washed-out emblem of the fire department on it, similar to the one he'd worn only yesterday.

There had been Hiccup, drenched in soft sunlight, and she might have tried to memorise the patterns of the freckles on his cheek. _Might_.

"Astrid?"

She blinked, realising he'd asked her a question, snapping out of her short reverie of sunrise and tangled headphones.

"Sorry?"

"What bottoms do you want?" he repeated patiently, something curious in his eyes as he tilted his head.

"Uh - any shorts would be perfect."

Hiccup emerged again and handed her another article of clothing, somewhat proud.

"Here you go. Freshly washed - the shirt too, by the way."

She thanked him, suddenly very grateful for his 20 Watt lightbulb.

"So," he started, dragging the word as if he didn't want to speak the folliwing ones. "I'll, uh. Show you the bathroom and, um. Well."

Astrid furrowed her brows, not sure where his sudden nervousness was coming from.

Hiccup himself was sure he was burning up. God, he'd never been this red.

 _'This is stupid,'_ he thought. _'There isn't even a reason for you to be nervous. The flat is clean. You're not even spending the night with her. You're just showing her the bathroom and then you're going back downstairs. It's not a big deal.'_

The raindrops were even louder up here right under the roof, somehow accentuating the silence as he was silently being aggressively decent, his father's words about intentions as present as ever. She was smiling almost curiously at him, so he shot her a quick grin and tried to convince himself he was absolutely one hundred percent _fine_ with his decision.

Almost warily, she followed him back into the hallway and watched him push open the door of the room right next to his bathroom.

"Here's the bathroom, I'll put some towels out for you and a toothbrush. There's also a water bottle next to the bed and some tissues and a flashlight, just in case," he told her, gesticualting back towards his bedroom.

Astrid furrowed her brows, a suspicion forming quickly. It proved to be right when Hiccup shuffled from foot to foot and added, "So, I'll uh, see you tomorrow. Just call me if you need anything."

He smiled at her, then quickly bent down and kissed her cheek. "Good night."

Then he turned around and made his way towards the stairs.

Her fingers wrapped around his wrist. Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks, pulse sky-rocketing. Astrid was sure her heartbeat was so loud her heard.

"You're not," she heard herself say. "You're not staying?"

Hiccup hesitated, then took a step back from the door. Then another and another, until he stood facing her again. His voice was slightly raspy when he spoke.

"Do you want me to?"

Astrid found herself nod as she half-stepped away, her hands already pulling him further away from the staircade.

"I mean," she stopped and realised she'd taken both his hands. "I'd like you to."

Hiccup's throat was completely dry. "Well," he husked, letting her pull him in. "Then that's all I need."

* * *

 _'Ooh my God, what am I_ _ **doing**_ _?'_ he thought and grasped the edge of the bathroom sink, gritting his teeth as he faced his reflection in the mirror. _'I can't just_ _spend the night_ _with her like it's no big deal. We haven't even kissed yet! And_ _ **that's**_ _a big deal.'_

He exhaled and pushed himself off of the sink.

 _'Ugh, who am I kidding, as if this isn't what I've been dreaming of for the past few weeks.'_

He turned his attention back to his reflection, trying to find courage somewhere in it.

"Alright," he started, raising a finger at himself. "Pull yourself together, Haddock. It's nothing to be nervous about. Just sleeping. In the same bed. With Astrid. Who _somehow_ agreed to being your girlfriend. But no pressure. Yeah. No pressure."

It didn't help at all that he could see his finger shaking, so he took it down, sighed and started brushing his teeth (while he tried to pretend that no, of _course_ he wasn't doing a more thorough job than anytime before in his entire life except whenever he had a dentist appointment).

The knock at the door made him realise he had probably spent way more time in his bathroom than possibly appropriate.

"Hiccup? You okay?"

"Mmh-" he broke off, scared of accidentally swallowing his toothpaste, rinsed his mouth and choked out, "Yeah, just a minute!"

He turned back to the mirror, wiping at his lips. "Okay. _Just sleeping._ I can do sleep, right?" he mumbled. "I got this. Yeah. I got this. Only a healthy amount of eight hours of sleep. With Astrid. A few inches apart. Oh, god, who am I kidding, I can't - no. Okay. No, you know what, that's fine. This is fine. I can do this."

He stalked back to the door, knowing that those positive affirmations had never done a damn thing.

Astrid was smiling tentatively at him. Oh God, had she heard?

"I, uh, put some towels out for you on the counter," he mumbled.

"Thanks," she smiled and brushed past him, maybe a bit too painstakingly, her hands lingering on his arm as she did, leaving his skin tingling.

"Anytime," he returned weakly, not quite fighting the dopey smile stealing itself on his lips.

The door clicked shut and Hiccup quickly returned to the bedroom, almost stumbling over Toothless, who had obnoxiously blobbed down in front of his bed.

" _What_ ," he hissed into the darkness and furrowed his brow at the cat.

Toothless dug his claws into the wooden floor and stared back.

"Oh my god, Toothless."

The cat meowed and began licking his chest. Hiccup sighed.

"Okay, solid point. I'm giving you this one."

Toothless looked at him as if he was saying, 'I'd much rather be on the bed right now, but I'm doing this because I love you.'

"Appreciating it, bud," Hiccup grinned and crouched down to scratch the cat's ears.

"I'd better get dressed now, huh?" he murmured, glancing around the room and got up to quickly pull out something fresh to wear out of his wardrobe, not failing to notice he didn't take half as much time deciding as he had for Astrid's.

His quick, almost frantic movements were covering for his erratic heart, and he couldn't help but check his reflexion in the mirror, ruffling and flattening this hair, then ruffling it again, desperately trying to undo the damage, cursing under his breath.

"I really need a haircut," he mumbled more to himself than Toothless and brushed his fringe out of his eyes.

"I think it looks good on you."

Astrid's chipper voice made him jump and turn around.

She was walking through the door, quickly weaving her fingers through her blonde hair, dividing it into three sections and twisting it into a simple plait.

Hiccup almost forgot how to breathe.

Her smile was blinding as she sat down on the bed, tying her elastic around the end of the braid.

He'd never really worn the old shirt he'd given her, but 'Holy shit, this is the best item of clothing I fucking own now.'

"Um," he got out, as eloquent as ever in her presence. "I - thanks."

"If you want to, I could cut it for you, if you want to avoid weirdly specific small talk with a hairdresser," she offered lightly, propping herself on her hands as she looked up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You - ah, you would?"

Astrid shrugged, almost nonchalant. "Sure, I used to cut my uncle's hair all the time. I just need a decent pair of scissors. We could do it tomorrow if you want."

Hiccup's mouth was completely dry.

"Uh - yeah, I'd like that."

Hiccup let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and fisted his hands in his hair, letting himself fall on the bed next to her.

"I'm - sorry," he mumbled, not quite daring to look her in the eyes. "I'm just … nervous. I've, uh. I've never done this before. I mean, I - I've never … had a girlfriend, let alone have her stay over."

He breathed out a nervous chuckle.

Astrid hesitated, holding her breath, but then reached out and carefully placed her hand on his on the bed.

"It's okay," she heard herself whisper into the darkness, watching him shift slightly. "I've never done this before, either."

He turned to look at her, honest surprise written over his face.

"You haven't?"

She shook her head.

"I never wanted to regret anything. And most people I ever got involved with weren't really acting like I wouldn't, you know?"

There was a silly, lopsided smile blossoming on his face and he leaned in. "Most?"

Astrid grinned, warmth spreading from her chest, and nudged his chest. "Most. About 90%."

His grin widened.

She snorted, pushing him away. "Don't be so smug about it."

Hiccup chuckled, stilling her hand on his chest. "Sorry," he whispered softly, still smiling at her.

Astrid shook her head slightly, her expression almost daring (he thought that perhaps, it was only a trick of the light).

"But I guess - it's only sleeping, huh?"

He caught her gaze, and for a brief moment he was sure she'd heard him talk earlier. She offered him a small smile, which he returned and mumbled, "Yeah. Only sleeping."

He let out a nervous laugh. "I mean, it's not like we - like we'd do anything else. Right?"

"Right," she echoed weakly and bit her tongue before she accidentally asked just what exactly he meant by _'anything else'_ , maybe because she already had an idea of what it was.

There was thunder rolling in the distance.

"Do you think we should go to sleep?" she asked into the storm still raging outside. Hiccup nodded, not able to take his eyes off her face and the way the light painted soft shadows on her skin.

Almost reluctantly, he let go of her hand and watched her get up and pull the cover aside. He followed her movement, but stopped when he realised he was still able to walk, a bit stunned by that discovery, before he realised he'd forgone a crucial step in his night routine.

"My leg's still on," he commented, but let out a short laugh at her expression. "And I'm wondering why I'm still able to walk."

There was humour dancing in his eyes, but also something else, something deeper in that was both aching and afraid to be touched. Astrid hesitated, the question already hanging on her tongue as he sat down again, pulling his prosthetic leg over his other thigh.

"I'll just … uh," he mumbled clumsily as he fiddled with the hem of his trousers covering the carbon, biting his lip.

Astrid paused at his discomfort, not quite sure how to react. A few moments later she inhaled slowly, crossed the short distance between them and sat down next to him.

"You're uncomfortable." It was more of a statement than a question, but he heard it. Hiccup sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

"I'm - I'm sorry, I just …" he broke off, avoiding her gaze. She watched him bite down on his lip, a frustrated snarl at the back of his throat. Her fingers grazed his and he exhaled slowly, eyes flitting down to their contact.

Finally, he met her eyes again and muttered, "It's ugly."

Astrid paused, her eyes wide, taken aback at his words. Then she gently curled her hand around his and whispered, "It's a scar. Let it be ugly."

He opened his mouth, maybe to object, maybe to repeat his earlier apology.

Astrid shook her head slightly.

"You don't have anything to apologise for, Hiccup. This is a part of you. And I -" she hesitated, biting down on her lip. "I adore every part of you."

There was the ghost of a smile on his lips now. She squeezed his hand and returned it. "I don't mind," she said softly, and repeated it, this time stronger. "Let it be ugly. I don't mind."

He nodded then, breathing out a small "Okay" and started rolling up his trousers' leg. His shaking hands were betraying him.

"Hiccup."

He stopped, her hands on his uninjured leg's knee. Her eyes were warm, full of adoration as she spoke.

"You don't have to show me. If you don't want to, just tell me. I'll just close my eyes. It's okay."

Finally he exhaled, the tension falling from his shoulders and he nodded wordlessly. Astrid understood and smiled at him, then turned around and crept under the cover, closing her eyes.

He did not know how to tell her how grateful he was, nor did he find his voice to tell her that he wanted to let her see this part of him, another day, another night.

Hiccup quickly pressed the pin, slid off the leg and rolled the liner and socks off, massaging his stump for a couple of seconds, before he scooted around the bed and laid down.

As soon as he hit the matress, another body weighing down the other side of it, his shame made way for a cold nervousness.

"You - uh, you can open your eyes now," he squawked, trying to lay as still as possible.

 _'Oh god, oh god, oh god.'_

Astrid opened her eyes and smiled at him. His entire body was burning.

 _'Don't touch her, don'ttouchherdon'ttouchher,_ ' rattled his brain.

"Good night," Astrid whispered into the darkness between them.

"Sleep well," he croaked and screwed his eyes shut.

 _'Just don't think about it. Actually, don't think at all._ _Don't think._ _ **Why am I still thinking?**_ _Fuck_ _.'_

He tried to concentrate on the raindrops hitting the roof. Or his breathing. Or her legs almost touching - no, not that.

 _'Oh, bother.'_

He groaned inwardly and dragged his hands across his face.

"Hiccup?"

He flinched, biting back a startled yelp at her soft voice interrupting the faint storm.

Astrid turned around to face him, her arm tucked underneath her head as she looked at him, a bright smile playing on her lips.

"You know you can touch me, right?"

He could feel his heart skip a beat. Heat was rushing to his face.

"Um," he wheezed eloquently. Astrid was still smiling, inching closer to him (had his heart escaped from his ribs and fled into his throat?) and nodded slightly.

"I, uh - I didn't. Um," he stuttered, trying to explain that he didn't want to step out of line, make her uncomfortable, but it was almost impossible to form any coherent word through the mist in his head and his erratic heartbeat.

And yet, all he wanted to do right now was to wrap his arms around her and pull her close until not an inch was left between them.

Well, he could, couldn't he? She'd downright _asked_ him to. Of course he could, but it could also go wrong on so many different levels. What if his foot were too cold and she would just be too polite to pull away? Would his stump weird her out? What if she got uncomfortable? Was she _already uncomfortable_ -

"Hiccup."

Astrid was smiling again.

Hiccup almost couldn't believe it. Here he was, being an absolute dumbstruck prickand yet, she was still smiling at him.

"You're doing that thing again," she whispered how, raising a hand to gently push his hair out of his eyes, lightly tapping her fingertips on his temple. "I can almost hear you think."

Hiccup looked at her face illumimated by the stupid 20 watt lamp and thought, _'Don't spend all the time you spend with her in your head.'_

He blinked.

"When I'm with you, I either think too much or not at all," he whispered then, and her smile widened, and whispered back, "Then don't think at all for now," and suddenly everything was easy and silent except for the storm, so he opened up his arms and slowly pulled her in, her head nestling into the crook of his neck and he could feel her grin into his chest as he, finally - _finally_ \- wrapped his arms around her.

He allowed himself to press a light kiss onto the crown of her head and inhale deeply before he husked into her hair, "Is this okay?"

Astrid nodded against his chest, her free arm coming around to lay across his torso.

"Better than okay," she whispered, smiling audibly, her breath hot through the fabric of the shirt. "You should stop thinking more often."

* * *

 _[blinking extensively]_


	13. Waiting Game

_This has been such a long time coming but yooo! Trust me, it's gonna be worth it!_

* * *

 _ _Chapter 13 - Waiting Game__

* * *

It was still dark outside when Hiccup woke up. Groggily, he reached for his phone and squinted at the too-bright display. 4:06 am.

He exhaled and scrubbed a hand over his face. When did his shift start again? Foggy memories of phone calls and Gobber's voice trickled through the mist in his head.

He screwed his eyes shut, distracted by the weight on his ribs and legs, and the strange numbness of his right arm.

Why …?

The fog immediately cleared as Hiccup glanced to his side.

There was Astrid. On his arm. Her leg sprawled across his.

Hiccup bit back a quiet gasp and closed his eyes, his entire body seemingly on fire.

Oh. _Oh_.

The storm. Right. He'd said he'd sleep on the couch.

 _'Well,'_ he thought, his eyes drifting back to her again. _'That worked well.'_

Her blonde hair fell into her face, only disturbed by her calm and even breaths, her ribs moving steadily against him.

He closed his eyes again, a quiet happiness spreading from his chest, and ghosted a kiss on her forehead, smiling softly when he felt her eyes flutter against his chin.

The morning could wait. For now, she was in his arms, asleep, and it was a simple, brilliant thing.

He awoke from the sunlight dripping through his blinds onto his face. Hiccup groaned, his right arm coming up to shield his eyes.

The numbness was gone.

Confused, he opened his eyes and blinked, adjusting to the light. His gaze fell to the right.

Not many days ago, he had thought Astrid in her running clothes was the best thing he'd ever seen.

 _'I stand corrected.'_

There she was, drenched in sunlight that fell in little stripes over her face, her head propped on her arm. She was smiling at him. Her braid almost undone.

This was it. _This_ was the best thing he'd ever seen first thing in the morning.

"Good-" he stopped, voice rough and husky, to clear his throat. "Good morning."

Her smile widened - _good grief, his skin was on fire_ \- and she shifted slightly. "Good morning."

To Hiccup's relief, her cheeks were tinted, too. They both exchanged a look, Astrid's eyes shortly flitting up to Hiccup's mess of hair.

Laughter bubbled up between them, and a moment later they were both laughing breathlessly, the tension falling as Hiccup slumped back into the cushions.

"This is so weird," Astrid remarked but grinned, laying back. "But good weird."

"Yeah?" He turned to her, grinning, drunk on his luck.

Astrid's smile widened as she nodded, inching closer to him again. "Yeah."

Without another word, Hiccup raised his arm and let her hide in his emrace, his hand smoothing over her hair, almost absentmindedly. He closed his eyes, resting his chin on her head, feeling almost dizzy.

"Astrid?"

She hummed, lightly nuzzling her nose into him.

"I'm breathing so much easier when I'm with you." He paused, realising how cheesy he'd sounded and cracked a grin. "That being said - you still up for that morning run?"

Astrid pulled back, her hands on his chest pushing herself up as she looked at him as if she wasn't quite sure whether to laugh or ask if he needed medical help.

"Oh my God. You're kidding," she deadpanned after a while and let out a short laugh of relief, pushing him away lightly when he grinned at her. "I thought you were serious. My quads were already screaming."

Hiccup laughed and she let him pull her back against him. "Well, I was serious about 50% of what I just said."

She grinned up at him.

"So what, are we leaving right now or …?"

* * *

Hiccup had never really put much thought nor effort into his (albeit stable) morning routine. Not that he didn't care, it just didn't help. He had to be practiced; there was no time for anything out of the ordinary. Get up. Feed Toothless. A quick shower, quick breakfast, quick glass of water. Everything _had_ to go quick. Usually.

Today, on the other hand, he was at ease, with no hurry in his footsteps on the way downstairs. There was a deep sense of _belonging_ in his chest when he closed the cupboard and threw a look back at Astrid, who was sitting at the kitchen table, drenched in sunlight, her legs curled against the wood.

She scrunched her nose at him. "What?"

Hiccup paused, his heart singing in his chest, and smiled. "Nothing. I just thought, I'd uh, I'd like more mornings to be like this."

Her smile widened and his heart sang louder.

"Me too. That'd be nice."

He turned back to the stove and couldn't help but think it had sounded like a promise. It was a funny thing, to think that only last month he'd been convinced his future would never go past putting out her fires.

Had anybody told him that in only a couple of week's time she'd be in his kitchen wearing his clothes, he'd have tied them to one of the fishing boats in fear they had lost their mind, all while laughing manically. But here she was, and here _he_ was, forgetting he needed eggs for scrambled eggs.

He paused when he realised Astrid had come up behind him, patting his arm.

"If you tell me where you keep the pans, I can heat up the butter."

"Oh - god, no," he spluttered before he could think, already nudging her back towards the kitchen table. "You're sitting yourself back down, Miss I Set My Stove On Fire Three Times A Week."

Astrid crossed her arms but sat down. "But I want to help!"

He patted her shoulder. "And I want to spoil my girlfriend."

A slow grin blossomed on her lips and she leaned back, uncrossing her arms.

"Alright. _That_ I can let slide, once or twice."

Hiccup chuckled and pressed a quick kiss on the crown of her head before he returned to the stove.

"Can I at least pour us some orange juice, or are you worried that'll catch on fire too?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm, but there was humour dancing in her eyes when she opened the fridge and threw him a look.

"Honestly? I would not be surprised."

She scrunched her nose at him, not even bothering to hide her smile anymore and placed the juice box on the table, leaning against it. Her eyes went back to Hiccup, wandering over his shoulderblades, his freckled arms. He was humming, tapping from one foot to the other and set the eggs aside, opened the fridge and pulled out various containers. Throwing her a quick grin, he placed them on the table and returned to the stove.

"By the way, I don't have hair scissors. Kitchen scissors are as good as it gets," Hiccup confessed, shovelling eggs onto her plate, soon realising he had fried and scrambled way too many, but chose to lay low about it.

Astrid looked at him and grinned smugly.

"Oh no," she said, sarcasm dripping off her lips. "That means we'll have to meet another day at my place."

He snorted, pouring her another glass of juice. "Tough call. Was sorta hoping to get out of that one."

"Yeah, I know, real bummer."

Their gazes met; Hiccup gave up and cracked.

"So, next week?"

"Yup."

* * *

"So, how's your CV coming along?"

Astrid shrugged and rested her head on her angled knees.

"Feels like I'm stuck," she admitted and hesitated. "I don't know how to sell myself. I mean - I _know_ I'm good, I just don't know how to convince them."

Hiccup hummed. They sat shoulder to shoulder and Astrid found herself leaning into him, the close proximity both electrifying and calm. His voice was gentle when he spoke.

"How long have you been working on it?"

"Since I told you? Every day after work, basically."

"Try putting it down for a couple days. Take a step back, clear your head and come back to it with a new perspective. You'll be able to think of something when you're not forcing yourself."

She sighed. He was probably right, but it was hard to put down. "Maybe. It's just," she hesitated, raising her head to look at him."This is what I've always wanted to do, and I didn't have the chance to do it for so long, and now I finally do, so I want it to be good. Perfect. They'll _have_ to take me."

She could feel herself slip. If the resumé wasn't good enough, they wouldn't take her. Astrid _hated_ that thought and she wanted it gone. The solution was simple: she'd only have to write the best resumè known to mankind and they wouldn't even have another choice than to hire her. Basically foolproof.

Hiccup's voice was slowly trickling in through the war cries inside her head.

"Astrid, a resumé isn't going to make them hire you. That's on you. And you _know_ you're good. You're better than good, okay, you got through months of shifts at the _Smith's_ being harassed by creepy drunk men without punching them in the face, and that's a thing I'd write on that CV."

Astrid blinked. Hiccup's face came into focus again, his forest-green eyes fixed on her and she wondered where the battle cries had gone.

"There are many day-to-day challenges teachers have to face, but there is nothing that could distract or shake me from my firm belief that the most important job of a teacher should be listening to children and help them shape themselves, not be shapen. Opening sentence."

She drew a deep breath, a slow smile blossoming on her face, and let her hands fall into her lap.

Hiccup was grinning. "Top of your head?"

"Top of my head."

"See? Thank you for proving my point."

* * *

"Looks like the sky cleared up." Astrid commented and leaned out of the opened window, the now light summer breeze grazing her face.

"Yeah." Hiccup replied weakly, his eyes dancing over the crinkle of her eyes and the smattening of freckles and he couldn't help but think, _'Please don't say you should get going now'._

Astrid turned around, a hesitant smile on her lips. "I think I should get going now."

 _'Thanks, universe.'_

"Oh - yeah, no, of course," he mumbled, raking a hand through his hair. "Stormfly's waiting, huh?"

She laughed. "She'll probably be cross with me for leaving her alone a whole day and a bit. She gets a bit fussy without her scratches."

He nodded and watched her turn back towards him, her brow furrowed.

"You reckon our clothes dried overnight?"

It seemed to Hiccup as if the concept of clothes drying again for the first time, at least that's what it felt like when he staggered away into the kitchen to the chairs where they'd hung them, his hand touching damp cloth.

"Nope, still damp," he let Astrid know, who had followed him. "But, uh, if you want, just - you can just keep this. On, I mean. And just return it whenever you like, it's fine."

God, her smile was better than Fishleg's waffles.

"That'd be great, thanks."

"No problem."

He shrugged, grinning lopsidedly, his heart skipping a beat when she shortly laid her hands on his chest to lightly nudge him towards the kitchen door.

"Well, thanks again for letting me stay. And the clothes. And dinner. And breakfast. You get it," she grinned and bounced herself off the kitchen chair, her clothes tucked under her arm.

Hiccup chuckled and followed her back into the hallway, where they stopped in front of the door.

"You're probably not gonna have the day off, aren't you?" Astrid smirked up at him, quickly tying her shoes.

"Yeah, no, I'm probably gonna report back at work tonight. Gobber giving me that whole day off _was_ sort of illegal," he shrugged, grinning lopsidedly. Astrid chuckled, laid the clothes down, got up again and nudged his shoulder.

"Just be careful."

"You know me. Constantly vigilant."

She snorted, her eyes getting caught on the gap between his front teeth, and after a moment of hesitation she locked her arms around his neck, looking up at him.

"I know. Just try not to get fried? I'd like to actually keep my boyfriend for a bit longer."

Hiccup's smile widened, his hands sneaking around her waist, pulling her in.

"I'll try my best."

His voice barely made it over his lips, almost a whisper as his gaze dropped to her lips ever so shortly. When he looked up again, Astrid's eyes were fixed on his, her hands taking a hold of his collar.

"I really," she mumbled, his breath on her skin, one hand coming to rest over his heart, the rhythm just beneth her fingertips. "I really want to kiss you right now."

Hiccup stopped, pretty sure his heart had skipped a beat at her words. He waited for his brain to sound the alarms, contradict this as a _Thing That's A Bad Idea_ , but all he could come up with was how on earth he could have been so _dumb_ and wasted so much time _not_ kissing her.

He leaned in, holding her gaze.

Astrid's own eyes now flitted down to his lips as he smiled slowly.

"I might have an asthma attack if you kiss me," he mumbled, their breaths mingling.

She shyed back. He grinned, his hand around her waist pulling her back in again.

"But I guess that's an occupational hazard."

Astrid's reply was swallowed by his lips.

There was no toothpaste and no hurry in their kiss, not even as they parted, but Astrid's eyes fluttered open and she was met with his gaze, and there was something _else_ in it.

There was a short moment, their hearts beating up to their throats, the air tingling between them, her hands still clutching his collar.

And suddenly he was dipping down again, and she was pulling him in, and _suddenly_ her back was hitting the wall and they were a mess of teeth and smiles, and her hands were burying themselves in his hair as his cradled her jaw.

All Hiccup heard was the sound of his own heart, beating up to his throat and against her when she leaned into him, swallowing his short breaths, her hands coming down around his neck, pulling him in, and there was not a single part of him that wanted to stop and pull away.

This was by far not his first kiss, but he couldn't help but think that all first kisses should feel like this. Everything right now made sense. His head wasn't scrambling for the next thing, for anything else, something better - _this_ was it, this was the moment - several moments - and he wouldn't trade it for the world.

Astrid's hands had found his face, and her touch was gentle when they parted, her fingers almost cold on his skin. They looked at each other, their faces only inches apart, and Astrid couldn't help but think how alike and yet completely different this was from all the times they had stood like this before. But here they were, and Hiccup was looking at her like she was the best thing since sliced bread, and maybe also like he was going to cry, so she gave the joy in her chest more room and kissed him once more.

* * *

 _(When u finally make ur idiots kiss and are already screaming publishing it)  
_


	14. Fools

_I got out of the Writer's Block From Hell, spent two weeks in Turkey with my family and wrote not only one but TWO (2) new chapters, so buckle up, buddy!_

 _Here's chapter 14, in which it is the same evening of the day we left off, Astrid exe. has stopped working and Hiccup has an epiphany!_

* * *

 _Chapter 14 - Fools_

* * *

"Good evening, everyone."

Scott's head snapped around at the chipper sound of his cousin's voice, just in time to witness Hiccup walk in, all bounce-y steps and wide grins, and drop his bag on his desk.

Gobber stopped, raising an eyebrow at his colleague over the rim of his mug.

"What're you all smiley for? I thought I'd given you the day off."

"My guess? He got lucky," Scott grinned and crossed his arms behind his neck.

Gobber clicked his tongue with a wave of his hand.

"Don't be stupid. If he'd done as much as kiss her we'd know."

The dark-haired man hummed in response and leaned forward to closely watch his cousin, who was getting progressively less smiley.

"Yeah, you're right. It'd be all over the news. _'Henry Haddock - source confirms Berk's most desired bachelor is going steady. Local singles outraged'_."

Hiccup frowned, raising his hands.

"Okay, guys - can we please stop speculating about my love life?"

"Oh, so we're already talking _love_ now, huh?" Snotlout smirked, resting his head on his hand, a smug smile playing on his lips.

Hiccup only groaned, rolling his eyes and turned away, muttering something under his breath.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said if you wanted the new Berk's issue cover story, you should've scheduled an interview."

Gobber barked out a laugh and gave Hiccup a well-meant slap on the back.

"Come on, boy, we're just messin' with ya."

Hiccup hesitated but then let out a short exhale, the dopey smile slowly stealing itself back on his lips.

"I know."

Scott grinned and nudged his shoulder.

"There he is! Now, come on, at least give us something! You can't just waltz in, all dopey and shit and then expect us to not want any info."

Hiccup shrugged, waving vaguely as if there was really not much to talk about, honestly (his tried-and-failed nonchalance was not bought for a second)

"Well-"

 _Her hands sinking into his hair - they're stumbling back into the apartment -_

"If you MUST know-"

 _There is barely any space between them, and he doesn't think he wants there to be any-_

"She stayed for the night - you know, because of the storm-"

 _She's wrapping her arms around him and buries her nose in his chest, and he wants to never let her go-_

"A-and before she left, we, uh-"

 _They've stumbled backwards - his hands can't stop tracing her-_

"We kissed."

Gobber's mouth hung wide open.

Snotlout let out a sound that resembled a mix between a strangled sob and a squeal.

Hiccup waited. A couple of moments passed. Then, finally, Gobber broke out into a whoop of laughter, and Hiccup was mentally preparing for the usual slap on the shoulder, but was instead pulled in a hug that he could have sworn was cracking a few of his ribs.

"Ha! I knew it! I knew it - you owe me _ten_ , Snotlout-"

"-you bet on me _again_?"

"Yeah, well, it was a minor storm."

"Ho- how is that a justification?" Hiccup exclaimed and helplessly searched Snotlout's gaze.

But Scott Jorgenson was speechless.

This happened very - _very_ \- rarely. The last time Hiccup had seen him like this had been five years ago after they had pulled a feral, muddy and scared Hookfang out of a frozen creek.

"Scott?" he asked carefully, leaning closer to his cousin. "You okay?"

Snotlout was scrambling for words, helplessly opening and closing his mouth again, looking up at his cousin.

"I - I just didn't think you'd actually do it," he then got out, and to Hiccup's horror, his eyes were watering.

"Oh- God, Scott, I - wait, why is this such a big deal to you? I mean, we're a couple, it was official - I told you and you were completely okay."

His cousin's face crumpled up.

"What? You - you were a couple and you didn't _tell_ me?"

"No, I - I did, I definitely did-" Hiccup stopped, his hands flying up to his hair. "Shit, I told Gobber. I didn't tell _you_."

"And you're asking _me_ why _I'm_ making such a big deal out of this?"

"Ooh my God, Scott, no, I-"

"Since when? Huh? How long have you been keeping this from me?"

"I wasn't - 3 days."

" _Three da_ \- oh wait, that's actually a lot less than I thought it'd be."

Snotlout stopped, looked at Hiccup and then shrugged, and his next words were completely levelled as if he hadn't just been yelling and on the brink of tears at being presented with the fact that his cousin had found love. "Yeah, that's chill."

Hiccup blinked.

"Wait - what?"

Snotlout shrugged again.

"Yah, it's fine. Three days is fine. Gobber once took a week to tell me he got Grump _And_ a new arm design, so you're good."

Hiccup exhaled, relieved. "Okay, good."

He paused, frowned, turning back to Gobber, furrowing his brow.

"You didn't tell him about Grump?"

Gobber shrugged unassumingly.

"No, but seriously," Snot grinned and nudged Hiccup's shoulder. "I'm really happy for you."

Hiccup grinned back at him. "Thanks."

"But don't think that means you're getting out of telling me everything that happened!"

"Yeah, no, I know."

* * *

Hiccup's words were still ringing in her head. 'Take a step back. Clear your head.'

So she went out for a run. The memory of his lips still burning on hers. Every breath she drew was burning, and her legs felt like they'd give way under her, but Astrid couldn't stop grinning to herself.

Something led her past the fire department, and it was either her heart or her memory, but it was hard trying to bite down her smile, so she gave up and grinned at the ground under her.

His heart had beaten so loud she'd heard.

Astrid remembered the dream she'd had a few weeks back, and she couldn't help but think how that hadn't even gone close to comparing to the real thing. Hiccup's calloused fingers seemed to have left invisible imprints on her skin, and heat rushed to her cheeks as she imagined them ghost over the same trail again, his mouth following his hands.

Astrid came to a sudden halt, leaning against a facade, trying to catch her breath. She screwed her eyes shut and dragged her hands over her burning face, trying to chase the previous thoughts out of her mind.

It turned out that it was downright impossible not to think of - memories of stepping on each other's feet and desperately trying to get closer were as present to her as the wall she was leaning against.

Astrid remembered wishing for fourth, fifth glances, get to know him past his jokes and easy smiles - she thought of him that night, sitting with his leg pulled up, fingers trembling over the fabric. The look in his eyes that was begging her to both to watch and look away.

She'd looked at him and realised that he had never really tried to hide anything with his jokes - but that this Hiccup, right now, was letting her know that there were things in his life that were _real_ and that were _painful_. He had looked at her and apologised.

A part of her wanted him to know that she was willing to share and ease his pain; another part of her desperately _needed_ him to know that there was nothing to be ashamed of. But she also knew that he needed time to grow comfortable with that idea. And she was willing to wait, however long it took.

By the time Astrid got back home, it was already dark outside. She dropped her keys on her bedside table and quickly checked on Stormfly, who was already asleep, before she toddled into the kitchen, turned on her computer, put on the kettle and opened the fridge, where the only things remotely resembling a meal were a slightly wrinkley paprika and a container with some fruit salad. Usually, she would have at least sighed and closed the door again, only to open it up a few seconds later to check if anything had magically changed - but today, on this particularily unordinary day, she shrugged and opened up the container.

So she sat and ate, in silence.

Astrid had no problem with being alone. In fact, she even enjoyed it. Usually. But again, today, on this particularily unordinary day, she _had_ a problem with eating alone. Specifically, eating _without_ Hiccup.

She wondered how she'd got so used to spending time with him so quickly. All she knew right now was that doing the dishes after finishing this fruit salad would be a drag again, maybe just because they weren't doing them together. A smile bubbled up inside her chest at the thought of yesterday, and she bit her lip, trying not to think about how he'd kept throwing little glances at her anytime he'd handed her a dish, their fingers sometimes brushing, in fear she'd miss it too much now if she did.

But she already had, and now she _did_ miss it. Astrid sighed and put down her fork.

* * *

The steady tapping of her fingers on the keyboard was interrupted by a sudden rap on the door, before a key turned in the lock and she heard the door open -

"Put on your pants, we're having dinner!" Ruffnut Thorsten declared from in the middle of her kitchen, shoes and all.

Astrid blinked and looked up from her screen.

"We are?"

"Yup!" Ruff confirmed, grinning brightly at her friend. "Come on, grab your keys, wallet, I booked us a table."

"What, right now?"

"Well - yeah. But first," Ruff grinned and plopped down in Astrid's place when she got up and walked over to the kitchen counter. "I wanna see how you're getting on with this."

Astrid shrugged and handed her friend a mug of coffee - two spoonful sugar and so much milk it was an offense to everything Astrid stood for - and sat down again, curling her legs under her.

They sat in silence for a while, and Ruff took a sip of her abominable coffee choice (Astrid's words, not hers) and remarked calmly, "So, I don't know if this is intentional, but it says here under personal skills 'kissing Hiccup', and, uh, you might wanna give that one a second thought, sis."

Astrid choked on her coffee, slamming the mug down on the table.

" _What._ "

"Well, it says -"

"I _wrote_ that?"

Ruff hesitated, her eyes scanning her screen. Suddenly her face went uncharacteristically slack with surprise. "That's … not the only thing you wrote."

"Wh- let me see."

Astrid scrambled to her feet and grabbed the laptop's screen, pulling it closer.

 _Stumbling back against the wall … couldn't stop smiling … his hands …_

With every passing sentence Astrid's expression grew a bit more horrfied. For a blurry moment she wasn't even sure what her mind had made up and what had really happened yesterday.

There was a moment of silence after they had both finished reading.

Ruff clapped her hands and rubbed them together, her voice almost cheerful when she spoke.

"Well, at least nobody will ever read that, right?"

Astrid looked at her, completely mortified.

"You just _did_!"

"Shut up, as if i count."

* * *

"So?"

Hiccup stopped and waited for Scott to catch up with him, keys already in hand, and chuckled. "So what?"

Scott had convinced him to change shifts at the same time, so now Hiccup stood in the department's drive way, waiting for his cousin to finish up. It was a clear, calm and starry night - not a single reminder left of the passed storm.

"So," Scott stressed, jamming his hands into the pockets of his jean jacket as they picked up a leusurely pace. "How do you feel? About all of this. Yesterday, I mean."

Hiccup stopped short, having expected another prod for 'details' from his cousin.

But, to his surprise, Snotlout was watching him with an earnest expression. So he hesitated for a few moments, not sure what to say.

Snotlout went on, "'Cause, listen. I - I mean, we both know you've never had - well. Something like this - but let's be honest, you're a bit of a sap. I know you, so you're probably completely head over heels, but … is she serious about this? As serious as you are, I mean?" At his cousin's expression he quickly raised his hands. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I care about you, man. I want this to work out for you."

It was in this moment, and maybe it was the fact that they were out on this particularily starry night, or that Scott's expression and voice were so soft and concerned it was impossible to think that there had ever been any animosity between them years back from now, or that at the thought of yesterday he felt an intense wave of serenity wash over him - it was in this moment, that Hiccup realised that there was a word for what he was feeling.

"I'm in love," he whispered into the darkness, and Snotlout stopped walking, and the words were so easy they chased a smile to his lips. "I think I'm in love with her, Snot."

It was for the second time today that Scott Jorgenson was rendered scrambling for words.

So Hiccup continued walking and gave his words some more room. "I've been living in this flat for almost five years now, Scott. And I don't know, maybe it's the job or the amount of hours I spend talking to my cat each day, but every time she's in my apartment it feels like I'm finally _home_. Like I've stopped searching," Hiccup paused for a second, then he grinned. "And honestly? Fuck sleeping alone."

Snotlout couldn't help but snort at that, making Hiccup's grin widen as he grabbed his arm and leaned against him, making both of them stumble. "There he is."

Scott laughed and pushed him off, stumbling onto the empty street.

"I knew it! You sappy fool! And you didn't tell me earlier!"

"If love be blind, it best agrees with night," Hiccup chipped swiftly, and quickly ducked away from his laughing cousin's arm.

"You _know_ I don't get your Shakespeare references!"

"That's why I _make_ them," Hiccup grinned and pulled Snotlout back onto the pavement.

"No, dude, but seriously," Snotlout's expression was serious again. "This isn't one-sided, is it? Emotion-wise?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Well," Snotlout shrugged. "Are you sure she's feeling the same for you? Or at least to some degree?"

Hiccup paused for a moment.

 _Her hands are open on the table, calm, relaxed. 'That's good. 'Cause you've caught mine, too._

 _'It's good to see you.'-_

 _Her voice is still trembling, but she's smiling as she presses her lips to his cheek-_

 _"And this is for ... everything else."-_

 _Her voice is the first thing he hears that morning. 'I've missed you,' she confesses and he's redefining his own meaning of the word._

 _He looks up, and the sun's coming up, and she's out of breath but still_ breathtaking _\- 'You okay?'_

 _The plank bed is bending violently and she leans into him -_ _"I'd rather be here and spend the night with you than going back."_

 _They're already back inside and he's fiddling with the radio, so maybe she thinks he doesn't notice the expression on her face, but then he looks up and she's smiling even wider_ -

 _She wraps her arms around him and he can feel her grin against his chest-_

 _"You're not staying?"-_

 _She's comforting Toothless, he feels himself dozing off, her calm voice surrounding him, and he can feel her drape the blanket over his shoulders-He's trembling, and he's wishing he wasn't, but then there she's taking his hand, "Let it be ugly"-_

 _-Then he's holding her, or maybe she's holding him, and he can feel her heartbeat, and it's as erratic as his own-_

 _"Hiccup Haddock, I can't even begin to tell you how much I'd like that."_

Hiccup looked at his cousin and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I am."

* * *

 _'15 Things That Will Make Your Life A Bit Better Now That Hiccup Haddock Has A Girlfriend' - the Berk's issue cover nobody talks about_


	15. Two Minutes

_WOW so t_ _his took_ _an_ _unnecessa_ _ry amount of time, but here it finally is, chapter 15,_ _in which Snotlout gets the_ _plottime_ _he deserves because we stan one (1) boi, Astrid gets shit done and Hiccup is still amazed at how he got where he is now!_

* * *

 _Chapter 15 - Two Minutes_

* * *

The streets of Berk were never really empty. Something was always going on somewhere. This particular morning, a fireman was being dragged over the cobblestones by his barking dog.

" _Hookfang_!"

Hookfang came to an abrupt halt in front of a small cafè, panting, wagging his tail. Snotlout stumbled to a halt, following his dog's gaze -

He gasped and ducked behind one of the flower pots outside of the building, heat crawling up his face as he realised exactly _whose_ cafè this was. A heartbeat later he realised what had just happened and he spit out a curse through gritted teeth, angry at his reaction and stepped back into the open.

"Scott, hi!"

Fishlegs waved and grinned at him, and Snotlout wished he a) wasn't there and b) couldn't feel his heart race up to his throat at the sight of his cousin's friend.

' _Shit_.'

"Hey, wha- what are you doing? I mean, I uh, saw you closed up the shop like a week ago, was everything okay?"

Fishlegs sharply sucked in air through his teeth and sheepishly looked to the side. "Yeah, I probably should've told you guys. Don't worry though, nothing bad happened."

"Oh … okay."

"It was actually - hang on, I'd like you to meet somebody!"

Scott smiled and nodded but the only thought running through his head was _'Please don't be a girlfriend 'cause that would be actually worse than if you had a boyfriend which would at least mean you're gay, please don't be a girlfriend,_ please _don't be a girlfriend.'_

Fishlegs reappeared, and for a second, Snotlout stopped because he didn't see anybody accompanying him - then Hookfang started to pull on his leash and the fireman's gaze fell down. There, next to Fishlegs, cowered a small brown basset breed, timidly shying back from the larger dog.

Snotlout's first thought was, _'Oh, thank God.'_ And then, _'That's a really cute dog.'_

So he knelt down, pulling Hookfang back.

"I got her from a death row animal shelter," Fishlegs said softly and watched Snotlout's head snap up, smiling hesitantly.

"It was love at first sight, really. The rescuers said she was really anxious and didn't let anybody near her, but when I walked up to her, she started wagging her tail at me and even let me feed her. I just had to take her with me - but well, now she's really anxious when I'm _not_ there, so I had to close up for a few days until she got a bit used to my flat."

Snotlout nodded, slowly offering the dog his hand - she shyed back. He threw Fishlegs a quick glance, who smiled at him, and then got back up.

"So why'd you open the shop back up now?" he asked and Fishlegs shrugged.

"I missed work. And until she eases up a bit I'll just take her to work with me. You know, chill out a bit. She can get used to seeing people, all in a non-threatening environment."

"Good idea. Hey, if you need help with anything, just tell me, yeah? Hooky and I are always glad to help," Snotlout mumbled, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

Fishlegs grinned. "That'd be nice, thanks."

They stood in awkward silence for a while - _'or maybe it_ isn't _awkward and I'm just_ thinking _it is, ugh, why did I even come by here-'_

"So, uh, can I get you anything? You know, since you're here?" Fishlegs asked and Snotlout stopped, surprised. Maybe it _wasn't_ awkward after all.

So he shrugged and said, "I mean, I could go for some afternoon waffles before work."

* * *

Astrid inhaled deeply and opened up her laptop, determination written on her face.

 _'Alright_ ,' she thought, staring at her screen. _'Time to finish this. It's just you and me now, buddy.'_

Her finished CV stared back.

Astrid cracked her fingers. It was almost perfect. Emphasis on _almost_. Which meant it wasn't _perfect_. Which meant-

Astrid screwed her eyes shut, forcing her train of thought to stop.

"You _know_ you're good, you _know_ you're good," she ground out through gritted teeth, knocking her fists against her forehead as if physically willing the mantra into her head. "A resumé alone isn't going to make them hire you. That's on you," she repeated Hiccup's words and rubbed her eyes, exhaling slowly.

Then she yanked her hands away from her face and set them down on the table, opened her emails and typed in the address of the school office.

* * *

Snotlout had followed Fishlegs back inside and was now pretending to greatly care about where he would sit, when in reality he just wanted to spend a bit more time watching Fishlegs work.

"You sure you don't wanna sit outside? It's a beautiful-"

"No, it's really hot, in here's better," Snotlout said too quickly, his voice maybe a little too loud. Fishlegs hesitated but then shrugged and pointed him towards an unoccupied table.

"Hey, isn't that Hiccup's date from a couple weeks ago?"

Snotlout hissed and pulled Fishlegs behind a flower pot. The other man let out a low yelp.

"What-"

"She's his _girlfriend_ now," Snotlout explained and stole a quick glance at the young woman, who was typing something on her laptop. "They got together like three days ago - which he didn't tell me until yesterday, so I'm a bit bitter about that - but they had their first kiss like yesterday and - _God_ their children are gonna be _beautiful_ , what the _fuck_ \- he is so head over heels, it's disgusting, but I'm really happy for him, so it's okay."

Snotlout stopped, realising this was all maybe something _Hiccup_ should have told his friend in person and when he was ready, so he quickly added, "But you didn't hear this from me."

Fishlegs turned to look at him. "Hear what?" he grinned, nudged his shoulder shortly and then made his way to Astrid's table.

For a few moments all Snotlout could do was look after him, having stopped functioning.

oOo

"Good afternoon, what can I get for you?"

Astrid looked up at the sound of a familiar man's voice and smiled when she recognised him.

"Hi! A latte would be brilliant - and you know what, while I'm here, some of your chocolate ice cream because it's to kill for."

Fishlegs laughed. "Good choice. And thank you, I'm glad you like it."

Astrid shrugged and grinned. "We should both thank Hiccup for that one, he introduced me to your cafè. We haven't had the chance to come by again though, and he'd mentioned you were out of town for a few days."

"So you guys are still going out?" Fishlegs - Christopher - asked and Astrid couldn't help but remember the first time her and Hiccup had come to _The Cone_ _Cove_

* * *

 _"Let's see if I can manage to properly eat ice cream this time," Astrid commented lightly and pushed the door open._

 _It was a small, light-flooded place with plants over plants hanging from the ceiling and placed around the corners._

 _"Hiccup!" a voice called out and Astrid noticed a large kind-faced man emerge from behind the counter. Quickly she let go of Hiccup's hand, only now registering that they had still been holding hands._

 _She watched Hiccup grin and be engulfed in a large hug by the blond man who seemed to be about their age, maybe a bit older._

 _"It's so good to see you! You never stop by these days."_

 _Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I've been a bit busy these days."_

 _He tried stealing a quick glance at Astrid without either of them noticing - neither of which_ failed _to see._

 _His friend's face lit up in a smiliar manner to Tuff's, Astrid realised and remembered Hiccup had been as hopeless as her._

 _She extended her hand to him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Astrid, Hiccup's …" She stopped, suddenly uncertain._ What _exactly were they? Was she his date? Did that imply that he was also dating_ other _people? They_ were _exclusive, weren't they? They were romantically involved, even though that sounded a lot like something that happened only shortly in a passionate affair. Girlfriend also did not apply._

 _"Date," she finished, shooting Hiccup a look who only shrugged helplessly and looked as though the only thing he wanted right now was for the ground to swallow him immediately._

 _The other man didn't seem to notice her pause and embarassment and shook her hand. "Likewise. I'm Christopher - or Chris, however you want."_

 _He clapped his hands. "So. I'd recommend you this beautiful little table over here, the oleander is blooming just nicely this year."_

 _Hiccup smiled and followed his guide. "Thanks, Fish."_

 _"Hang on, I'll get you the specials card, too."_

 _Christopher disappeared, a cheery smile on his face. Astrid took a seat and smoothed her hands over her skirt._

 _"Fish?"_

 _Hiccup chuckled. "Fishlegs, actually. Another weird nickname. We met while fishing when we were young. Both of us got forced by our parents to go fishing with them, and, well, let's just say we spent the day more with hunting trolls and learning about the forest than fishing. But it stuck with us."_

 _She hummed, resting her chin on her hand. "Are you close?"_

 _"We're still really good friends, but not as close as we used to be. Work's sort of getting in the way. But we still meet up sometimes."_

 _His voice sounded rough, almost, a bit hoarse she noticed then. He sounded exhausted._

 _"Ruff and me are the same, honestly. I don't know just when we got so busy. And I don't want any friendship to feel like a chore."_

 _"Right. That's understandable."_

 _He locked his eyes on her again over the menu. Astrid pretended not to notice._

 _"Is the coffee as good as his ice cream?" she asked, quickly scanning her options._

 _"I don't know, I don't drink coffee."_

 _Astrid gasped, mockingly in shock. "How do you_ survive _?"_

 _"On water and tea, usually."_

 _Hiccup had leaned forward, leaning on his forearms, grinning his lopsided grin at her and suddenly she wasn't so keen on focusing her attention on the menu in her hands anymore._

 _In the end she decided to just get a chocolate sundae and set the menu down, letting her eyes wander over his face again_

* * *

"Yeah, we, uh, we're actually a couple now," she heard herself say.

"Congratulations," Christopher smiled. "I'm not surprised though, from the way he looked at you. Anyways, I'll be right back with your order, it was nice to see you again!"

"Likewise," Astrid replied smiling and then returned her attention to the email she was writing - well, at least she was looking at it. The rest of her was still caught up in another sun-flooded memory.

* * *

"Look what the cat dragged in!" Hiccup grinned at the sight of Snotlout entering the fire department in his usual state - fifteen minutes late, a to-go coffee cup in his hand.

His cousin sat down, setting the cup on the table.

"Okay, so, _first_ of all, before you judge me, Mr _'I got an entire day off so I could get laid'_ -"

he ducked away from the rubber that came flying at him and continued completely unfazed, "guess who's back in town _and_ has a dog."

Hiccup gasped. "You're kidding! He got a dog?"

"Yes," Snotlout confirmed, grimly staring at him over the rim of his coffee. "Which makes me, like, seventyone percent more attracted to him, which I hate."

Hiccup looked at him and could already tell Snotlout was going to _despise_ his next question.

"Why don't you just _tell_ him?"

Snotlout gawked at him. "And ruin my carefully crafted reputation in this city? Are you insane?"

"Have you ever considered that maybe he … feels the same way?"

"Wait- did he say something to you?"

"No. I'm just saying you could be missing your chance and it might be too late in a couple-"

"Okay, okay, calm down Romeo, just 'cause you got a girlfriend now doesn't mean you can start giving me actually helpful dating advice, okay?"

Snotlout interrupted him but grinned and nudged his cousin's shoulder, leaning back while taking another sip of his coffee.

"Appreciating it, though."

Hiccup snorted and leaned back.

"Hey, just 'cause I got a girlfriend doesn't actually mean I know how I did that."

* * *

Hiccup sighed, rubbed his burning eyes and threw his arms over his head, stretching until he heard his back crack.

' _That sounds very unhealthy,'_ he thought, slowly rotating his neck and letting it hang backwards until some of the tension subsided. His gaze fell on Snotlout next to him, who had curled up on the couch and was snoring loudly. Hiccup grinned and carefully got up, trying not to disturb his sleeping cousin and tiptoed to the door of the common room, up the steps to the headquarters.

He started when his phone in his pocket rang, checked the screen and grinned at Astrid's face on the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Astrid's voice greeted him and he felt a wave of warmth wash over him at the sound of it.

"Hey," he answered softly and sat down on his chair.

"What're you up to?"

"Work, as usual," he leaned back. "I'm on call response."

She let out a small chuckle. "So you _had_ to pick up?"

"Of course, I'm just doing my job here, it's not like Snotlout's been asleep for the past hour and nothing is happening and I'm bored out of my mind and have been wanting to talk to you the whole day."

Astrid hummed, grinning audibly. "Of course."

She paused for a second and then asked, "So would it be okay if I came over for a bit? It's - basically too late for me to be asking this, I already got the tea and am literally two minutes away."

Hiccup sat there, stunned for a second, the only thought occupying his mind right now, _'God, I love you.'_ but he bit his tongue, and instead said, "That'd be great! Text me when you're at the gates, I'll come down. Don't wanna wake Snotlout."

Astrid nodded, biting down a grin. "Okay, see you in two minutes," she whispered.

Hiccup closed his eyes, his heart fluttering.

"Two minutes.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed that one! Also, on a more personal note, to all the single people out there who read this story wishing they had someone - take this from a Person Who's Been Single For 20 Years And Isn't Since About Three Weeks Ago: YOUR PERSON WILL COME! AND UNTIL THEN YOU'LL BE JUST FINE BECAUSE YOU'RE ALREADY KILLING IT ON YOUR OWN! (And in the meantime, we can all just read fluff amirite, no but seriously, I feel you and it'll be okay! Keep on rocking!)_


	16. Collision

_Here's a rather short one, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyways!_

* * *

 _Chapter 16 - Collision_

* * *

"Hey," she whispered into the semi-darkness of the corridor and squeezed past him, balancing the two cups on the paper tray she was holding as she pecked him on the cheek.

"I didn't know you were still up," he grinned and closed the door with a small _Click_.

Astrid shrugged and grinned up at him. "Figured I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow anyways."

Hiccup chuckled and gestured over to the plank bed, taking one of the steaming cups she offered to him.

"I got you peppermint, hope that's okay," she murmured and grinned even wider as she watched his face light up.

"That's perfect," he mumbled, taking a big sip after he'd sat down, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the wall. "Just what I needed. Thank you."

His hand found hers on the thinly padded metal.

"Anytime."

Astrid hummed and let herself fall against him.

"Is it dumb that I've missed you?"

Hiccup shook his head and pressed a light kiss on her temple.

"I've missed you, too. So maybe we're both a little dumb."

She snorted and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, maybe."

Hiccup took another sip and wrapped his free arm around her.

"Tell me about your day?"

"Well, I had work until - three, I think? Gothi almost threw me out, she keeps trying to get me to do normal things on Saturdays, but I'm convinced she just wants some alone time with the gang," she chuckled. "So I went to _The Cone Cove_ , I was craving some ice cream, took my laptop with me - and I, well, I finished my CV yesterday night and sent it off today."

Hiccup pulled away for a second, searching her gaze.

"You did?"

Astrid grinned and nodded. "Yeah, just typed it up in ten minutes and sent it. It was funny, 'cause I was stressing about it so much, but as soon as I started writing it, it was fine."

Her smile widened as he pressed a kiss on the top of her head.

"'m proud of you. Knew you could do it."

"Yeah, now all that's left on my agenda is hope they accept me and then stress about actually teaching," she replied, scrunching her nose at him.

"That's the easy part, yeah?"

He cracked a grin at that and Astrid couldn't help but laugh and wrapped her arms around his middle, leaning back into him.

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a while, his ribs rising and falling underneath her steadily. Astrid closed her eyes, feeling only warmth and comfort, trying to match her breathing to his own, thinking she couldn't imagine her life without him anymore.

A whole month, and she still couldn't believe how they had ended up right here, right now, in this moment, and she didn't really care as long as they just kept doing it.

A month ago she'd have laughed at the idea of being this close to someone, this comfortable with someone, but maybe that was the thing - Hiccup wasn't just _someone_.

She had let her guard around him down a long time now, or maybe she had never guarded anything at all. She'd never needed to, with him. There had never been any need for carefully constructed sentences, or to act like she was untouchable, unattached.

She could just _be_ with him, no questions asked, and it was enough to simply be herself.

"Hiccup?"

He hummed, his fingers lightly drawing circles on her shoulder.

"I'm really glad I set my kitchen on fire two months ago."

His fingers stopped and their eyes met; Astrid sat back up, and watched a grin blossom on his face.

"Me, too."

And then she found herself gravitating towards him again, he was almost magnetising. She watched him stop, still smiling lightly as she let herself lean in closer, closer still-

Their lips met. Astrid's eyes fluttered close, his hands slowly slipping around her waist, ghosting over her ribs as she leaned in. Her own hands found his face, her fingers tracing his jawline, and she couldn't help but smile into the kiss as he hummed and drew her closer still, shifting slightly in his place.

They parted for a second as he caught his breath, leaning his forehead against hers.

"You okay?" Astrid whispered, ghosting her lips over his and he nodded, a slow smile blossoming on his lips.

"Yeah," he rasped back. "Never been better."

He was grinning, and for a breathless second their eyes met, and maybe it was the way he looked at her, or maybe the fact that they sat this close, or that her rising and sinking ribs under his fingertips felt like the realest thing he'd ever touched, but then they collided again, all slowness gone.

His fingers were caressing her back as she slowly pushed her tongue into his mouth, drawing a hum from his lips, his fingers sinking themselves into her skin.

Astrid wasn't thinking - by the way Hiccup was running his hands along her body, pulling her in, brushing his tongue against hers, he wasn't either - the only thought in her mind right now was that they weren't close enough, and suddenly she was lightly pushing him back, and then she was on his lap, her knees digging into the plank bed, leaning into him, locking her arms around his neck. Hiccup let out a low hum of surprise but stilled his hands at her waist and back.

Her whole body was on fire; his hands and mouth adding to the flames. He broke away suddenly, making her whimper shortly, but then she felt him sloppily kiss his way across her jaw, down to her neck, her collarbones, her hands were fisting themselves into this hair in an attempt to keep him there, his name escaping her lips. He was whispering something back, the words getting lost in her skin as he kissed his way back up again. Astrid let herself fall into him, his heart beating against hers before she kissed him again and gently bit his lower lip, swallowing his low gasp.

His hands found her waist again, the rest of him completely lost in their kiss as he shifted, sinking back, Astrid's own hands on his chest pushing him down.

And then suddenly everything was going way too fast, and too slow at the same time, Hiccup felt like he was lost in a haze, her weight pinning him down on the shabby plank bed that had long nights and aching muscles written all over it but suddenly made him feel like he never wanted to get up again, and her hands were in his hair, her tongue in his mouth and he wasn't thinking about anything else than her skin on his, colliding with him again and again and he was burning up-

"Astrid," he gasped suddenly, sitting back up again. "We should stop."

Astrid nodded, her expression almost fazed. "Yeah," she agreed, equally breathlessly, her hands on his shoulders; their eyes met.

Hiccup's hair was a complete mess from the countless times she'd fisted her fingers into it, his mouth hung agape as he looked at her, still trying to catch his breath. Astrid's braid had come partly undone, her fringe hanging into her face - her cheeks were flushed, matching her puffy lips.

There was a moment of silence between them, a mutual realisation of what had just happened, and they couldn't help but grin at each other, laughter soon bubbling up between them.

Hiccup shook his head, still laughing, and let himself fall back again, pulling Astrid down with him.

"That, uh," he mumbled. "That … _happened_."

She muffled her laughter in his chest and nodded against him. "Yeah."

"You okay?"

She nodded again. "You?"

"I feel like I'm drunk."

They laughed again and he pressed a kiss into her hair, wrapping his arms tighter around her. And in this moment - this incredibly light and drunken moment - the words almost slipped from his lips. But he bit his tongue, swallowing the words and kissed her again instead.

* * *

 _(I can't even think of anything witty to say, this chapter has me shook and I am now contemplating everything)_


	17. Anchor

_An update? A new chapter? Who is she? I'm maybe probably finally out of my writing rut? Anyways, here's chapter 17, in which Astrid doesn't get a healthy amount of sleep and Hiccup is doing his literal job for once! (I was resisting the urge to make another hotness-pun but you'll see haha)_

* * *

 _Chapter 17 - Anchor_

A loud, blaring sound tore through the silence, abruptly waking Astrid from her sleep. She sat up, the mist in her head slowly fading as the noise continued.

"What-"

She felt Hiccup move next to her and scramble off the plank bed, cursing under his breath.

"That's an emergency," he said then, throwing her an apologetic look. "I'm on call and response duty."

It took her a couple of seconds to understand, but when she did, Astrid nodded. "Okay."

Hiccup sighed and stepped closer to her, helmet already in his hand.

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It's not your fault."

He did not look convinced. The young woman smiled at him in the dim light and kissed his cheek. "It's okay, really. Now come on, I'm waiting for your response to the call, don't waste that time with me."

"No time spent with you is wasted," he mumbled reluctantly, but got up when she laughed and pushed him away, pulling her up with him into a kiss.

He couldn't help but linger for a couple of seconds, but forced himself to let go of her.

Astrid looked up at him, her smile sobering him up.

"Don't get fried."

* * *

"Okay, guys, what do we got?"

Scott and Gobber briefly looked up as Hiccup strode into the room, slipping his gloves on. The three men exchanged a brief glance, and Gobber gave them both a short nod.

"A boat down at the docks caught fire, they don't know if anyone's still on there," Scott caught him up as they rushed towards the exit to the garage. Hiccup nodded sharply at his cousin.

"Right, let's go."

They saw the smoke minutes before they arrived at the docks.

Hiccup's heart sank at the small crowd of onlookers and stopped the engine.

"I'll take care of that and check for injuries, you get the hose ready, if anybody's inside I'll beep you," Hiccup directed Snotlout, who nodded and together they got out of the fire engine.

Hiccup scanned his eyes over the small crowd and quickly spotted Mulch, who was trying to usher people away.

"Hey, Mulch!"

The older man's head snapped up and within a few steps Hiccup was next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you know what happened? Is everyone alright?"

Even as he spoke, he could tell that whatever Mulch was about to tell him - it wasn't anything good. His face contorted.

"I wasn't on the boat, but I think someone's still on there - I just - I'm sorry, I tried to get everyone away, it spread to our boat after I called you."

Hiccup nodded, patting his shoulder. "It's fine, Mulch, you did good. Hey, Scott!"

Scott caught his eye and nodded when Hiccup waved towards the burning boats and then himself, signalling his intentions. Snotlout nodded, unlocking the engine and pulled the fire hose out. His shouts for people to clear the path and make way for him to get through to the hydrant were drowned out for Hiccup over the numbing buzz of the fire as he walked closer to it.

He lowered his visor and stepped inside.

The fire was biting at the wood, licking at his own feet as he tried to find a path through the flames and the smoke, desperately trying to make out any movement or figure through it all.

"Hello?" he called out, crouching below the already low deck above him.

"Is anybody here?"

A deep, rasp sound made him stop. It was faint, but distinctly different from the buzzing and crackling of the fire.

"Hello?" he shouted again, louder this time, listening carefully.

There it was again. Hiccup moved towards it, or at least to where he thought it was, and there was no room for any doubt through the rush of adrenaline and the blur around him, so he crawled closer to where the sound was coming from, and a second later he saw a figure slumped on the ground, unmoving.

His stomach dropped but his legs carried him towards the body, and then everything was happening almost automatically.

His mind was racing by the time he was out of the boat again, completely unaware of the state of the person he was carrying.

He stopped near the fire engine, dropping to the ground.

"Snot - oxygen, I need a bronchodilator ready!" he ground out, laying the person - who he now recognised to be a young man, not much older than him, younger even, a boy almost - down on the ground, quickly checking for pulse and breathing before he got him into lateral recumbent position.

Within a few moments Scott was at his side and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"You good?"

Hiccup nodded grimly, his eyes fixed on the unconscious young man as he reached into his inner pocket.

"I'm waiting for the phlegm. He needs to cough it out. You called the meds yet?"

"Yeah, they're on their way, should be two minutes away now."

"Good," Hiccup ground out, tearing the lid of his asthma spray away with his teeth.

Breathe out. Press. Inhale. Hold breath. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Exhale.

He closed his eyes, his body relaxing as he felt the weight on his chest lighten and finally disappear and drew a couple of deep breaths.

The young man on the ground rasped out a deep, heavy cough, gasping for air.

Hiccup nodded, placing a firm hand on his back to keep him from rolling on his back.

"It's okay," he murmured. "You're okay. I got you."

* * *

Hiccup allowed himself a moment of rest as they watched the ambulance drive away.

"He'll be fine," he told Snotlout, but maybe said this more to reassure himself. His cousin only nodded and gave him a short pat on the back.

"You good?"

Hiccup nodded in affirmation. "Yeah. Let's get back. Can't wait to get the report on that one done."

Scott shot him a grin and shook his head as he got behind the stirring wheel. "I'm not saying I don't admire your drive to write a mandatory formality for the sake of bureaucracy at 4 am in the morning, but I sure as hell don't _understand_ it."

Hiccup laughed and leaned back, watching the water shimmer under the moonlight as the waves hit the shoreline.

He thought of how fragile the boat's floor had felt beneath his feet. It was then he really realised, maybe got a full grasp on it - that really, his profession was dangerous. And not only that, it would have an effect on the people in his life if something happened to him. He thought of Astrid and how he couldn't predict anything. He could spend any moment with her and it could be their last one.

His gaze fell into his lap and he realised he'd pulled out his phone. He clicked on her contact, smiling at her profile picture for a second before he typed, 'good morning! Just wanted to let you know we made it out okay, i hope you made it home okay and slept well!'

Hiccup locked his phone and put it back into his pocket, exhaling slowly.

Thinking about it like this made everything seem incredibly, terribly fragile.

But maybe, just maybe, it also felt like now he had an anchor. Someone to check in with after a mission, outside of work. He closed his eyes, letting the sudden wave of peacefulness wash over him.

He found himself almost drifting off then, just now fully realising the exhaustion settling in his bones, so he allowed himself to close his eyes for a bit until they were back at the department.

Back at the headquarters Hiccup beelined to the bathroom, indulged in a ten-minute shower, watching the grime wash down the drain, and - for good measure - washed his face with hard soap.

"You want a tea, son?" Gobber asked him as he found him sitting on the sofa in the common room, vigorously rubbing his hair dry.

The young man looked up and smiled. "Yeah, thanks."

"So," Gobber intoned conversationally, shifting from one foot to the other. "Astrid left a little while after you got called out."

Hiccup hesitated. "I thought she'd gone straight home. She stayed with you?"

His mentor shrugged. "She came down here and we sat for a bit, had a cup of tea together and talked for a while. She's a nice young woman."

He kept eyeing him from the side. Hiccup knew there was something Gobber wasn't telling him and furrowed his brow in almost-annoyance.

"What?"

Gobber paused, then sighed and sat down next to him. "Listen, boy," he started, hesitating for a second. "I don't need to tell you our job is hard - and dangerous."

Hiccup snorted, taking a sip of his tea. "You can say _that_ again."

"What I'm trying to say is," Gobber continued, still looking at him from the side, somewhat concerned almost. "Our line of work isn't exactly hazard-free. You know that. But I don't know if Astrid quite knows that." He held up his hand as a sign he was not finished yet when Hiccup opened his mouth to protest.

"Just make sure you have that conversation with her. There are stakes for you, being on the job, but there's also going to be something at stake for her if she's going to be in a relationship with you. You need to be aware of that, both of you."

Hiccup stayed silent for a few moments, staring into his mug.

Then he finally admitted, "You're right. I thought about that on our way back here, after the mission. There's no - I never know what could happen." He looked up at Gobber, and the older man was taken aback by his expression. Hiccup looked _terrified_.

"What if she isn't willing to take that risk? Realise that _being_ with me is a risk?"

Gobber hesitated, but then put a hand on his shoulder, offering him a small smile. "With the way she looked when she was talking about you? Not a chance."

Finally, Hiccup smiled and took another sip of his tea. "Yeah," he murmured. "I hope you're right."

* * *

 _So, this was a rather short one, but as I was told, the short ones are often good! Hope you enjoyed_ _it_ _!_


	18. Home

_Hello! So, it's been a hot minute since I've uploaded anything but then again it's also been a hot minute since I've written anything! Ya gorl started uni and moved cities and is now An Adult TM (technically) but also doesn't have any wifi at home - but anyways, onto chapter 18, in which Astrid is not a morning person, Hiccup is a comedic ledge and Gobber is the best!_

* * *

 _Chapter 18 - Home_

* * *

It still baffled Astrid how different a place could look by night compared to how it did by day. There was something about the narrow, empty streets of Berk drenched in moonlight that made her feel calm like no other place she'd been to before. Not even back at Puffin Point she'd felt this kind of serenity.

Astrid unlocked her front door and took a deep breath at the sight of her dark and empty flat. It smelled like home. She'd left a place she'd called home out of habit and had arrived in Berk with an odd sense of belonging as soon as she'd set foot outside the bus station into the busy street. She hadn't ever been able to explain it, but something about this place made her feel like she wanted to stay - so she had done just that and made Berk her home.

And despite everything that had happened to lead her here, she'd never regretted it. Her keys landed on the small table next to the entrace, followed by her phone and wallet. Her shoulders were aching as she painstakingly shrugged out of her jacket, the crammed-up three hours of sleep on a frail metal bed she'd got now properly announcing themselves. Astrid grimaced and rolled her shoulders back and forth a couple of times before she peeled herself out of her clothes, threw them into a corner and put on her pajamas. She forced herself to a trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face and then - finally - dragged herself back to her bedroom. She'd be able to catch a couple hours of sleep before work. Another three, maybe. Three and a half if she was really lucky and fell asleep right now immediately.

The song she'd set as an alarm tone got gradually more annoying with each and every passing morning. Today, the very thin line between 'strong annoyance' and 'burning, all-consuming hatred' had been finally passed. Astrid forced her eyes open and angrily glared at her phone, only to find the display telling her it was 7 am as if it was mocking her.

"Shut up," she growled into her pillow and hit snooze, turning back around and cuddling into the warmth of her blanket. Why was it that beds were only ever this comfortable when you had to leave it within five minutes?

Said five minutes passed. The alarm went off, once again. Astrid hissed and tried to fight the urge to press the snooze button a second time. She failed.

* * *

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the cat section."

Astrid's face lit up at the sound of the voice behind her and she turned around, to find Hiccup grin at her, hands in his pockets. She mirrored his expression and decided to play along.

"And are you looking for something specific, sir? Anything I can help you with?"

"Oh yes, actually, now that you mention it - I was looking for my girlfriend. About as tall as you, blonde hair, breathtaking blue eyes-"

His voice trailed off as Astrid, now laughing lightly, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. Hiccup chuckled into the kiss and pulled her in by the waist, flush against him and found that he still couldn't stop smiling, even after days of having kissed her for the first time, somehow still not believing his own luck as his other hand gently cupped her face.

After a few seconds Astrid suddenly pulled back, a frown on her face but a glint in her eyes, her hands stilled on his chest now.

"Hang on - was that another asthma joke?"

Hiccup's grin told her everything she needed to know, so she rolled her eyes and kissed him again.

"So - fancy some non-cardboard ice cream?" she asked after they'd parted (and remembering they were still very much in public), grinning up at him.

Hiccup frowned, smiling apologetically. "Actually, I just dropped by to ask if you're free tonight and would mind cutting my hair? Technically I'm still on my shift, just took a little break."

"Oh," Astrid paused, her expression slipping for a moment, but then shrugged and smiled again. "Sure. I'll be home, just drop by whenever you can, yeah?"

"Amazing," he grinned and pressed a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thank you."

Her hands rested on his chest again as Astrid got on her tiptoes to be on the same level as him. "Anytime. Now go, the city of Berk needs you," she quipped, maybe a bit more dramatically than her smile would make you think. Hiccup rolled his eyes but leaned in for a last kiss and hugged her shortly.

"I'll see you later."

* * *

Hiccup was still grinning to himself, warmth deeply settled in his chest as he lightly pushed the door of the common room open.

"Hey guys, sorry I-"

He stopped abruptly as he saw Snotlout and Gobber, huddled together on the sofa. His cousin sat there, completely motionless, his head buried in his hands. The other fireman was speaking in hushed tones. Within a heartbeat Hiccup was at the sofa, his eyes searching Gobber's.

"What happened?"

The older man's eyes were dark, but he didn't speak. Instead Snotlout pulled his hands away from his face, almost mechanically, gaze still cast on the floor.

Hiccup's blood froze when he saw the bloodied bruise across his cousin's chin and cheek, his nose crimson red with not-yet dried blood.

"Oh, my God," he breathed out and sank down onto the floor next to him. "What happened?" he repeated, urgently.

Snotlout turned his face away again, baring his bruised cheek.

"Scott, what happened?"

There was an edge to Hiccup's voice now, and finally Snotlout turned to face him and spoke, his eyes dark.

"My Dad."

Hiccup's heart stopped for a second, a curse escaping his lips.

"Fishlegs and I have been texting," Snotlout's voice was hollow as he spoke. "Dad must've got to my phone while I was in the kitchen.

Hiccup's eyes grew wide, his heart painfully seizing, already know what exactly had happened and - more imortantly - _why_ it had happened.

"Shit."

Snotlout nodded grimly and shrugged slightly. "Next thing I know, he's screaming - things and he-" he stopped, his breath hitching in his throat as he fought the fresh tears that were gathering in his eyes. "Threw me out."

The moment the tears were spilling over, he hid his face in his hands again, his shoulders starting to shake violently. Hiccup and Gobber exchanged a short look and a wordless conversation, and then Gobber abruptly got to his feet, his expression grim. There had only been a limited amount of times Hiccup had seen his uncle this furious, and yet dangerously quiet, his fists clenching and opening again as he stood in the middle of the common room. His voice was shaking with held-back rage as he spoke.

"I'm gonna go and pack a few things for you, son. You're staying with your uncle and me."

Hiccup opened his mouth, the words 'Let me go with you' on the tip of his tongue, but Gobber just held up a hand and added, "You're staying here. That bastard wouldn't dare to pick on someone his own size, I'll be fine."

Hiccup gave up quickly, knowing there would be no deterring Gobber in a moment like this, so he nodded firmly and sat down next to Snotlout.

"You're on call response until I get back," Gobber added, addressing Hiccup once more. The younger man nodded a second time.

"We're here," he said, maybe more to Snotlout than to Gobber and slowly, carefully as to not to startle his cousin, laid an arm around him as he silently shook with quiet sobs. "We're here."

* * *

"I got you some tea."

Hiccup carefully set the steaming mug down in front of his cousin, who had gone back to staring blankly at the floor in complete motionlessness.

He'd let Hiccup tend to his wounds, and the young man had been relieved none of Snotlout's open bruises had required any stitches. He sat back down next to him and after a moment of silence, quietly said, "Don't let it get cold."

Almost automatically, Snotlout reached out and took a sip from the hot beverage, clutching it tightly with both hands as he continued his staring contest with the floor.

Hiccup knew he couldn't force him to talk about anything that had happened. But right now, he wasn't even sure if it was a good idea to even go as far as ask.

Several minutes passed.

"I'm not a piece of shit, am I, Hiccup?" Snotlout's voice was hollow when he finally spoke to the ground. "Just because I'm bi. That doesn't make me a bad person, does it?"

Hiccup's heart broke a little. "Of course not," he said, his hand back on his cousin's shoulder. Snotlout shook it off reluctantly, tears gathering in his eyes again.

"So why did he _say_ that?"

"Say what?" Hiccup probed gently, now keeping his hands away.

"That I'm not his son anymore," Snotlout choked out, eyes desperately glued to the floor. "Why would he _say_ that?"

"I don't know," Hiccup admitted a moment later, his heart aching for his cousin who looked so young and afraid. Looking at him now, the burly young man who carried himself with confident bravado seemed more like a little boy, cowered together to make himself as small as possible. Fragile. Snotlout seemed fragile right now, and Hiccup didn't know what to do.

So he let him cry, let him lean against him and cry into his shoulder until his tears had subsided and his breathing had calmed down again.

"Do you want a sip of water?" Hiccup asked once Snotlout's shoulders had stopped shaking. The dark-haired man wiped his nose with his sleeve and nodded, almost sheepishly. Hiccup nodded and carefully got up and went into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water.

Upon his arrival he found Snotlout staring down at the ground again, resting his chin on his hands now. He shortly looked up as he heard Hiccup enter and tried a small smile.

"Thanks," he muttered as Hiccup handed him the glass and quickly emptied it, now for the first time realising how thirsty he was.

They sat in silence for a while.

"It's like I came to my senses, you know," Snotlout said then, his head in his hands again. "After what you said. About not saying anything. Fishleg's amazing, I'm not the only one who sees that. So what if somebody else does - say something. And then he'd fall for that person. Not me. So I-" he paused, still not looking at Hiccup. "So I texted him again. And we've actually agreed to meet up, after my Friday night shift. Proper dinner as well, restaurant and everything, no alcohol this time."

With this, he finally looked at his cousin, shooting him a small, unsure ever-faltering smile. Hiccup returned the expression and gently nudged his shoulder.

"See, knew you could do it," he paused for a moment, then his grin widened. "Look at you, going to candle light dinners with the guy of your dreams."

Snotlout let out a weak laugh, pretend-pushing him away lightly. "Alright, don't get too excited. Just because I took your advice doesn't mean it was very good, okay?"

"Sure, Snot, whatever you say," Hiccup grinned, making him bark out another hesitant low laugh.

"Shut up."

* * *

Gobber returned with clothes and a dark expression.

"Right," he let the pile of clothes fall onto the coffee table and turned to look at the two younger men. "I've phoned Stoick, you can sleep on the sofa until we've cleared the spare room out for you."

"Thank you, Gobber," Snotlout mumbled, a strange mix of relief and shame written over his face. "I'm really sorry for-"

"And you're not finishing that sentence," Gobber interrupted him sharply. "There's nothing to feel sorry for, son. You're welcome to stay at ours for as long as you need and want." His expression softened with every word he spoke, and finally, Snotlout smiled up at his mentor, the shame slowly vanishing.

"Thank you," he repeated, louder this time and - for the first time in hours - got up from the sofa, looking a bit sheepish. "Now I just need a toothbrush."

"I've got a spare one in my bathroom locker," Hiccup offered, relieved at the sight of the smile on his cousin's face at his words.

"Right - it's settled then, I'll get a bag for your things," Gobber decided, rubbing his hands together and giving Snotlout a quick pat on the back before he left.

Snotlout sat back down next to Hiccup, smiling softly to himself.

"Love that guy," he said, weakly pointing to the spot where Gobber had just stood. "And you too, by the way. Never said that, I think. I know I'm always acting like … you know."

"Like you're fearless and untouchable and don't need anyone?"

Snotlout snorted, side-eyeing Hiccup sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah, more or less."

Hiccup shrugged lightly and grinned. "It's okay. Thank you for saying it. And I'll be here for you, okay? Whenever Gobber and Stoick are maybe a bit too much - so maybe after, I don't know, two three … hours or so - you can come crash at my place, yeah? We'll watch those Keanu Reeves movies you like so much."

Snotlout looked at him, and for the first time this evening, felt completely calm and only grateful.

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

* * *

 _(Not to be dramatic or anything but I'd walk through fire to protect these guys)_

 _Also here's a little extra something for you as a little apology for my long absence!_

Astrid peeked down the hole and found Hiccup's face grinning up to her.

"That was incredibly hot, but I'm not gonna do that," she called down.

Her boyfriend smirked at her. "I thought that was _exactly_ what you wanted to do. At least ten seconds ago."

"Well, I changed my mind," she shot back, watching him raise both eyebrows. "Suddenly sliding down this 3-meter pole doesn't seem ALL that desirable to me."

"What're _you_ doin' up here, lass?" another voice suddenly cut through Astrid's lament. She sighed and screwed her eyes shut. Great. _More_ witnesses. At least she had been able to trust that Hiccup would only tease her about this whole thing in private.

"Astrid wanted to know how long it actually takes to slide down our pole," Hiccup answered for her, a smug grin on his face. Astrid scowled at him.

"Shouldn't you be actually _sliding_ , then?"

"I'm _working_ on it, Gobber."

"Oh my god, is Astrid scared of _heights_?" another voice cut in.

"Scott, if you don't-"

"Astrid 'I'm not afraid of spiders, the officially most horrendous and disgusting creatures on earth' Hofferson is scared of _heights_ , oh, this is the best day of my life."

"Come on, guys, cut her some slack!" Hiccup interrupted his cousin from the lower level. His gaze and voice softened as he found Astrid's face.

"Astrid, come on. I'll catch you. It's okay, I got you."

Snotlout burst out laughing. "You? A humanoid _noodle_? Catch her?"

"Yes, Snotlout," Hiccup replied calmly, now spreading his arms as he returned his attention to his girlfriend. "Just hold on tight and wrap your legs around it. Then you can soften your grip and i'll be right down here to catch you, okay?"

Astrid tried taking deep breaths, in and out. Looking at Hiccup her heart had calmed down a bit. "Okay," she sighed. "Okay. I'm doing it."

He nodded, smiling slightly.

Astrid firmly wrapped her hands around the cold metal, took one last glance down at his face, then she screwed her eyes shut and jumped. Her legs went around the pole almost reflexively.

Inch by inch, she started to move and crawled down, Hiccup's reassuring voice fading in and out through the mist in her head.

"You're doing great. You're almost down. I'm gonna grab you and then you can let down, okay?"

Then, in the matter of mere seconds, she was brought back in when his arms wrapped around her waist.

Astrid let go and felt him pull her against his body, muffling her shriek in his shoulder, her legs now around him instead of metal.

"Got you," he breathed, his hand smoothing circles over her back.

Astrid gave herself three more seconds buried in his frame, then she exhaled and pulled back, her legs finding solid ground again.

Hiccup was beaming at her.

Her hands had fisted in the material of his shirt.

A hand came up to brush her fringe out of her eyes.

"Told you I'd catch you."

It was then that Astrid started laughing. She laughed and laughed and dropped back into his arms, making him stumble back a little.

Hiccup's arms went back around her shaking form as he pressed a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Hey, Astrid," Snotlouts head appeared at the hole above them. He paused as he saw her laugh into his chest and frowned at Hiccup. "You guys gonna come up again or are you just gonna camp in the garage?"

Hiccup grinned. "I think we'll take the stairs this time."

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed it! (Also, just a head's up, I have no idea when I'll update next, because I am a ball of stress with very little free time, but know that I'm not abandoning you or this story! Thank you for reading and sticking with me!_


	19. Hundred Percent

_I'm not saying it finally happened but it finally happened - I wrote a chapter!! (*Oscar winner voice*) I would like to thank the academy and all the people who have been with me on every step of this long and incredible journey and thank my last 2 braincells putting this together. Thank you to everyone for being so incredibly patient with me and sticking with me and IJAS through thick and thin! You guys are seriously the best, thank you!_ (edit: I realised this probably made it sound like IJAS is over - fear not, people, you've got at least 6 more chapters coming your way!! We are far away from being done here, i haven't reached full sappiness-potential!)

"Hello? Hiccup?"

Hiccup felt his heart unclench at the sound of her voice on the other end of the line and exhaled, leaning against his locker.

"Hey," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Everything okay?"

He smirked, his other hand coming up to rub his face. "Yeah, everything's - depends how you look at it. I'm okay. It's, uh, it's about my cousin, Scott. He … his Dad found out he's bi and kicked him out - after beating him up."

He heard her gasp. "Oh, my God. That's horrible, I'm so sorry."

He sighed. "It's alright, he's been meaning to get out of there anyways. He's gonna stay with Gobber and my Dad for a few weeks until he's found something. But anyway, I was really just calling to tell you I won't be able to make it to come round, I'm really sorry. I've got to be here, for support. Also, he's technically on duty right now so I'm pulling a double shift to cover him."

There were a few moments of silence on the other side, but then Astrid asked, "Does he like tea?"

Hiccup stopped, taken aback. "What?"

He imagined her shrug. "Well, I mean - listen, I don't want to intrude. But if he likes tea, I've got this really nice loose leaf tea blend at home, and I could bring some over. If you'd like," she added and Hiccup's heart did a little jump, chasing a smile onto his face.

"He's more of a coffee guy," he said then, still grinning. "But I'd love a bit of some really nice loose leaf tea blend."

Astrid snorted lightly and replied, "Alright, so one coffee and three teas, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see you in ten, then."

"Yeah," Hiccup repeated, feeling completely at peace for the first time since he'd set set foot into the department today. "Sounds perfect."

Memories of exchanged keys and a way too long work break flooded her mind as she spotted him, standing in the door.

Last time he'd been leaning against it, grinning at her with crossed arms.

Tonight, he was simply stood there. Upon stepping closer to the light, Astrid saw the expression on his face, her heart softening at the sight of him.

"Hey," she whispered into the darkness and gently laid her hands on his shoulders, pressing a light kiss onto his lips.

"Hey," he echoed, wrapping his arms around her just before she could pull away and hid his face in the crook of her neck. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course," She in turn hugged his middle, gently running her hand across his back. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed out, hugging her tighter. "Now I am."

She smiled at that, hugging him a bit tighter as well.

"You wanna go in?" Her voice was quiet in the darkness, and yet echoed through the hallway. He nodded against her and slowly - reluctantly - let go of her. And so she half-led, half-followed him into the command room, blinking as her eyes accustomed themselves to the light flooding the room. Hiccup led her through a door on the left-hand side of it and Astrid couldn't help but get lost in the way he was running his thumb across the back of her hand as he did so, warmth blooming in her chest.

They ended up in a rather small room with a sofa, a table and a kitchen area at the opposite end of the sofa.

"I'll put the kettle on," Hiccup mumbled and strode over to the hob. Astrid watched him carefully as he filled the kettle with water and took four mugs out of the cabinet above him.

He was stood hunched over, hands clenching around the handle of one of the mugs as he filled it with water and spoke, "It's weird, you know – growing up, I knew they had problems at home. But I really thought it was getting better for him."

"When did he know? That he was bi, I mean?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I think he just kind of always knew. But I don't think he always wanted to let it on; not only to others but also to himself. A big portion was just being in denial, I guess. He used to be a bit … difficult. We had some rough patches. Lots of shoving around and stupid nicknames." He smirked. "More stupid than now."

Astrid smiled at that. "I like your nickname. It's cute."

He chuckled and handed her the mug. "Thanks."

His hand laid down on the back of her shoulders as he gently motioned her towards the sofa, Astrid's heart fluttering as they sat down, his arm coming up around her, one of her legs draped between his.

He was staring into his mug for a while, shadows dancing on his skin, almost mocking it. A light stubble grazed his jawline, she realised as she took a closer look in the dim light. He looked tired, distracted.

Finally, he spoke, his voice soft. "Sorry I'm bombarding you with this. It's just … strange, you know? I mean, on one hand I feel really sorry for him because I know how important his relationship with his Dad is to him, I mean … he's always wanted to make him proud and do right by him. And I know," he quickly added as he saw the look on her face. "He hasn't done anything wrong. But in his father's eyes he has. And that's the problem. But you know, on the other hand, I also have the feeling this is gonna be good for him. He's been wanting to move out for a long time, and I think being away from all the judgement is going to do him some good. Having his own space in a couple months."

"You said he's living with your Dad and Uncle for a while?"

"Yeah – but I mean, it's my Dad and Uncle," Hiccup smirked. Astrid frowned.

"How do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Well, my Dad's pretty chill about most things and Gobber gay. So this is kind of the best environment for Scott to be in right now. Having someone around who celebrates him for who he is."

Astrid hummed. "Alright. Well, to be honest, all of this doesn't really sound that bad – I mean, don't get me wrong, being kicked out is fucking horrible," she added with a slight sarcastic smile on her face. "But you get used to it. And you then have the freedom of being yourself. You can create yourself new, become who you've always wanted to become and stay true to yourself above anyone else."

The look on Hiccup's face was taking her by surprise. She'd expected anything from confusion to pity, but instead she was met by pure tenderness.

The mug was set down onto the table. He reached out and gently took her hand.

"You've never told me that," he said, softly, his eyes dancing over her face, settling on her own. "Thank you."

Astrid could only stare back at him, completely flabbergasted. She couldn't get the 'You're welcome' over her lips. Instead, she mumbled, "I don't think I've ever said that to anyone. I don't usually speak about this. But I – with you it's okay. Ish. I guess."

He cracked a small grin at her. "Okay-ish? Good enough for me."

She laughed at that, realising how stupid she must have sounded. "Sorry, I didn't mean – you're great. And I like telling you things."

Hiccup hummed, gently resting his hand on her thigh, his face inching closer to hers. "I like telling you things, too."

And with that, he closed the distance between them, their lips meeting in a soft collision, and Astrid closed her eyes, the sound of his heartbeat in her ears.

Hiccup suddenly pulled back, his hand still on her thigh, and Astrid frowned, looking at him with a searching expression. He was looking almost sheepish.

"Speaking of telling you things," he started, quickly reaching out to take a sip of his tea. "I realised something."

"Oh, God," she dead-panned. "Is this the part where you tell me that you don't actually like tea? I don't think our relationship would survive that," she quipped, nudging him lightly. She could see the nervousness written blankly on his face. It seemed more than that – Hiccup looked absolutely terrified. "Should I be worried?" she asked softly then, reaching for his hand. He shot her a small smile.

"I … don't know," he admitted then and ran the other hand through his hair. "I mean – it's just." He stopped, closed his eyes, breathed out and then inhaled deeply. "Do you remember that time I was on emergency response and got a call at like 3 in the morning-"

"You mean literally this morning?" Astrid's voice was as light as she could keep it, and she squeezed his hand, smiling up at him.

Hiccup grimaced. "Right, that was today. Huh. Well – yes. This morning. Well, I realised something. My job is dangerous – like, _actually_ dangerous. Like 'I could die any given day' dangerous. And I just – I don't know, I feel like it's a risk. Being with me. I feel like there's so much at stake, for me being on the job, and for you being in a relationship with me. And I don't know whether you want to take that risk."

She was looking at him, her hand still in his and he couldn't make out the emotions behind her expressions.

"I-" she started, broke off and stopped. Her gaze fell onto their intertwined hands, and suddenly the words were stumbling over her lips. "I get that your job is dangerous, but I – I'd never not be with you just because you've got a dangerous job."

She looked him straight in the eye, blue waves crashing against the shore. "You're worth every risk."

 _I love you_ , Hiccup thought and said, "I've never written that message to anyone outside of work before. When I wrote you that I made it out okay."

They looked at each other for a few moments, and before Hiccup could ask her if she really was sure, Astrid whispered, "I didn't go home before I got that text," she looked up at him again, a small smile playing on her lips. "So good job on getting out of there, otherwise I would've made camp here and annoyed Gobber all day."

Hiccup chuckled, feeling all the weight he had felt before falling off his shoulders, and gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Is that gonna be our routine, then? You pulling all-nighters until you know I didn't get fried?" he smirked.

"Honestly? I'd probably get a lot more work done that way."

He laughed at that and pulled her close again, his free arm coming around her, closing his eyes as Astrid rested her head on his shoulder. "Alright. I'll check in with you about that in a week or so."

"Is that a challenge?"

He laughed at her sudden enthusiasm. "Maybe," he shrugged, grinning impishly. She lightly nudged him in the stomach.

"No, but really though," she continued, her tone getting serious again. "I meant it when I said you're worth the risk. I'm not going to let that stop me from – you know. I'm all in on this."

"One hundred percent?"

"One hundred percent."

 _Here's a snippet from my writer's block which is simultaneously the height of my comedic abilities honestly truly if I'm being honest:_

' "Hey, I'm gonna be gone for an hour to so, is that alright?"

Gobber looked up at the sound of Hiccup's voice, not very surprised to find him already rid of his working clothes. The older man squinted.

"What, dressed like this?"

"You know what, Gobber? Fuck you and your fashion opinions."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah," Hiccup fumed. "You heard me you old ball-sack. I'm sick of you constantly telling me I'm dressing weird!"

"That's because you ARE Hiccup and it's not my fault for noticing how _shit_ your fashion sense is," Snotlout commented from his spot on the sofa in the corner.

And then Hiccup died because he didn't know what to say.

The end. '

 _Look no further. I have peaked._


End file.
